Controversy refuses to die over Malawians registered in Zambia elections

Jun 11, 2016 Politics 31
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Edgar Lungu

It is said that the people of the two countries are related and even the names sound similar, so do the languages.

However the issue of voting in each other’s election has stirred a hornets nest and now has nearly blown into a full fight between the parties in Zambia.

The Zambian ruling party has accused the country’s opposition parties of tarnishing the relationship that is there between Zambia and Malawi.

Edgar Lungu
Edgar Lungu Zambia’s president faces stiff opposition from Hakainde Hichilema.

The ruling party was reacting to claims by opposition parties that Malawians have registered to cast their votes in Zambia’s elections which are slated for August 11 this year.

General Secretary of the Zambian ruling party Davies Chama said debates on Malawians who have registered to vote must not be encouraged because they risk getting Zambia in bad standing with Malawi.

“There is no iota of truth in those allegations. People want to imagine things when they see defeat in their faces; they want to fabricate a lot of things to massage themselves and justify their defeat, those are just excuses.

“They don’t even realise that they can tarnish the relationship between Zambia and Malawi, they are not even interested in the relationship that Zambia is enjoying with Malawi, those are just allegations. You can’t bring in foreigners to help you win an election, they will be detected and even if you are to do that illegal act, how many can you engage to turn the tables? It is almost impossible.”

Chama further challenged the opposition parties to bring the list of names of Malawians and other nationals who have registered in the August 11 polls.

“If they can at least release the information in the print media, they can print the photos, you know there is the registration process now and if there is a picture and your voters card, they can release your picture and your voters card to say, these are the foreigners and their nationality and then Electoral Commission of Zambia can give an informed response. But no one is bringing up this information, they are just saying, ‘No, foreigners have been registered’, bring us the evidence,” he said.

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31 Comments

  14. I would like to suggest a solution to this problem: there is need to have national identification for all citizens in these countries. during the voter registration exercise, citizens must peoduce such an ID. some countries have this, otherwise, the current status quo is a recipe for vote rigging. Legally, only citizens are the ones to enjoy this civic right…….VOTING

  17. Anthu kumalawi amene ali ku malire akathandizika ndi boma la Zambia . Kuyambila ku chitipa midzi ya simwaka wenya ,mzimba madede , ngakhale mfumu mbewe ikuziwa bwino Embangweni kuti ikudyesedwa ndi Lundazi . Mchiji ndiye tisanene malire kamwendo Namitete .

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