Africa-Press – Zambia. United Party for National Development (UPND) losing parliamentary candidate for Nakonde Constituency, Simon Simwanza has petitioned the results. Petitioning now opposition Patriotic Front’s (PF) candidate Luka Simumba who won the seat, Mr Simwanza says he decided to petition in accordance to Elections Commission of Zambia ( ECZ )’s electoral process.
Mr Simwanza , in an interview yesterday, maintains that it is his right to appeal when electoral laws are violated going by a number of electoral mal-practices which occurred during campaigns.
“The electoral commission has guidelines that must be followed so when there is serious defiling of such guidelines, it is somebody’s right to say no this is not right, ” he said. He revealed that his decision to petition the election results was in order to defend the democracy this country is built on.
“I for one and the people of Nakonde had seen serious malpractices , serious savagery violence and other serious issues that are not supposed to be tolerated in this era and age of elections,” he said.
Mr. Simwanza stated that he based his petition on political violence, and limited political ground for his party to campaign in Nakonde. He further alleged that the PF committed a number of mal-practices such as slaughtering animals which were shared with electorates to woo votes.
“The ruling party was taking people for granted by slaughtering animals like cows and start giving them meat to go and vote for them, I think these are some of the things that are disadvantaging people out there, ” he said.
He added that such practices are likely to twist the outcome of elections considering that Nakonde is a rural constituency. The losing candidate charged that with the overwhelming evidence that is available, he is assured that the petition will go in his favour.
“The beauty about the courts is that they go with evidence. Yes the evidence is there and we are 100% sure that this will go through because not one thing we are talking about in that petition doesn’t have evidence,” he said. The winning candidate Luka Simumba scooped 22,384 while Simon Simwanza of the UPND got 16, 826 votes.
