Tonse Pamodzi Alliance Accuses UPND of Inducing Candidates to Quit,
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Top StoriesAlliance says its own candidate withdrew under threats and an offer of incentives, with polling less than a week away The Tonse Pamodzi Alliance has asked the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to cancel the Mandevu parliamentary by-election after three candidates pulled out of…
Alliance says its own candidate withdrew under threats and an offer of incentives, with polling less than a week away
The Tonse Pamodzi Alliance has asked the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to cancel the Mandevu parliamentary by-election after three candidates pulled out of the race. It alleges that its own candidate withdrew after intimidation, threats and an offer of inducement linked to the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND). Alliance Secretary General Muhabi Lungu made the demand at a media briefing in Lusaka today, less than a week before Mandevu voters go to the polls on 5 November. He said cancelling the election would allow political parties, including the alliance, to identify replacement candidates and restore meaningful competition to the contest. The alliance will deliver a letter to the ECZ setting out its concerns over the circumstances surrounding the three withdrawals.
Mr Lungu alleged that the UPND had been offering incentives to opposition candidates to persuade them to abandon the race. He said such conduct raises serious questions about the credibility of the electoral process in the constituency. According to the alliance, its candidate stepped aside only after being subjected to intimidation and threats, and after being presented with an inducement aimed at securing a withdrawal. The claims remain allegations and have not been independently verified.
Mr Lungu said cancelling the by-election would be the right and Christian thing to do, given that Zambia is a Christian nation. His argument is that a contest stripped of three candidates in its final week no longer offers voters the choice that existed at nomination. The alliance wants the ECZ to reset the process rather than allow polling to proceed on what it regards as compromised terms. The request places the Commission under pressure at a late stage, with preparations for polling day already in their final days.
Mr Lungu also announced that the alliance will aggressively push for electoral reforms on candidate withdrawals. He argued that it is unfair for candidates and political parties to commit resources to the adoption process, only for candidates to pull out a week before voters cast their ballots. The alliance believes the current rules leave parties exposed to late withdrawals that they cannot remedy in time. It intends to make the issue a central plank of its reform agenda beyond the Mandevu contest.
The Mandevu by-election exists because the 13 August general election produced no result in the constituency. On 18 August, unknown individuals stormed the Mandevu totalling centre, attacked staff, destroyed result transmission kits and fled with election documents. Ballot papers were later found dumped in drainages and burnt, leaving the returning officer unable to declare a winner. The ECZ then scheduled fresh polls for 5 November, alongside the Lumezi North parliamentary by-election, the Mbala mayoral election and by-elections in 11 wards.
Nominations were held on 8 October, with campaigns running from 10 October to 4 November. The UPND adopted Adrian Banda, a long-serving Ngwerere ward councillor who contested the seat as an independent in August. Banda was among the leading contenders in the general election alongside the UPND’s Christopher Shakafuswa and Jean Kapata, who stood for the Resolute Party. On 7 October, the Tonse Pamodzi Alliance announced it would contest every November by-election and chose Ms Kapata, who represented Mandevu for the Patriotic Front from 2006, as its candidate.
Mandevu is one of Lusaka’s most closely watched constituencies, and the alliance’s allegations add fresh tension to a contest already shaped by the violence that disrupted the August count. The withdrawal of three candidates narrows the field significantly in the final stretch of campaigning. It remains to be seen how the Commission will respond to the alliance’s letter. Polling day is set for Thursday, 5 November.
ment. He alleged that the UPND has been offering incentives to opposition candidates to step aside. These claims have not been independently verified
Why does it matter? Mandevu has had no MP since August, when attackers stormed the totalling centre, destroyed equipment and made off with election documents. Ballot papers were later found burnt. The by-election was meant to settle the matter.
The alliance says cancelling the poll would let parties field replacement candidates and restore real competition. It is also pledging a push for electoral reforms to stop late withdrawals. The ECZ is yet to give its answer.
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