The ruling MMD has said  the Mporokoso by-election loss to the Patriotic Front-PF is a temporal setback.

MMD Acting National Secretary has said the ruling party is optimistic that it will re-claim the seat in the forthcoming general elections.

Mr. Nyangu told ZNBC by telephone from Mporokoso that the MMD will work hard to re-gain the seat from the opposition.

And PF Secretary General Wynter Kabimba has thanked the electorate for giving his party victory in the just ended by-election.

Meanwhile, UNIP Secretary General Jemina Banda has congratulated PF candidate Maynard Misapa on his victory in the by-election.

Ms. Banda said the former ruling party is not hurt by the loss because it is re-establishing itself and gaining ground in Northern Province.

And NAREP President Elias Chipimo Junior has pledged that his party will remain focused on its ideal of strengthening its members on the ground.

PF Candidate Maynard Misapa retained the seat he held under the MMD with 2,844 votes. He was followed by the MMD candidate Dominic Musonda who polled 2,217 votes.

Returning Officer Felix Kaluba declared Mr Misapa as the duly elected M.P Friday morning at about 09:05 Hours at Bulangililo community hall.

National Restoration Party-NAREP female candidate joyce mukando trailed third with 435 votes.

Anthony Konde of United National Independence Party-UNIP candidate came fourth and only managed 71 votes.

The Mporokoso seat fell vacant after Mr Misapa resigned from the MMD following his dismissal by president Rupiah Banda as sports Deputy Minister.

And Vice President George Kunda has said that the future of the MMD is still bright compared to the opposition political parties.

Mr. KUNDA also said opposition political parties should have confidence in the Electoral Commission of Zambia-ECZ and accept when they lose elections.

He said that despite the loss in Mporokoso, MMD is still better placed to win the 2011 elections.

The Vice president said because of the wrangles in the PACT, some members of the UPND are expected to turn their back on the PF leaving the MMD with an easy battle to win the general elections.

Mr. Kunda was speaking in parliament Friday morning during the Vice President’s question time.

He said the MMD is the only party that participates in all by-elections and that its average performance is very impressive than other political parties.

ZNBC

The Opposition Patriotic Front has won the Mporokoso by election held on Thursday. PF candidate Maynard Misapa retained the seat he held under the MMD with 2,844 votes.

He was followed by the MMD candidate Dominic Musonda who polled 2,217 votes. Returning officer Felix Kaluba declared Mr Misapa as the duly elected MP Friday morning at 09:05 Hours at the Bulangililo community hall.

Mr Kaluba also announced that National Restoration Party candidate Joyce Mukando came third with 435 votes and United National Independence Party candidate Anthony Nkonde polled only 47 votes.

The Mporokoso seat fell vacant after Mr Misapa resigned from the MMD following his dismissal by president Rupiah Banda as sports Deputy Minister.

ZNBC

Get Involved Zambia (GIZ) says demands by Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata for an apology from UPND’s National Youth Chairman Joe Kalusa over his continued attacks on him are justifiable.

GIZ leader Father Frank Bwalya says Mr. Sata has every right to demand for an apology if he has been offended because just like any other person the PF leader cannot work with people who have no respect for him.

Fr. Bwalya has since advised both members of the PF and UPND to desist from issuing demeaning statements towards each other.

He was commenting on the letter written to the UPND by the PF leader demanding for an apology from the UPND youth leader for his demeaning remarks directed at Mr. Sata.

And Fr. Bwalya has condemned President Rupiah Banda’s statement that the increase in fuel pump prices is not much and that the people trying to raise dust on the issue should not cause unnecessary worry to the public.

Fr. Bwalya says it is irresponsible for the president to issue such a statement because any increase in fuel prices transfers the cost to the people of Zambia who are already facing challenges of the high cost of living.

He says unlike the President who has been using tax payer’s money for his travels and has not in any way felt the impact of the high cost of living, the people of Zambia have been affected by the increase in fuel prices.

And Fr. Bwalya has confirmed his pullout from Change Life Zambia and has since registered a new organization called Get Involved Zambia.

QFM

With only 2 polling stations remaining, the opposition Patriotic Front (PF)’s candidate Maynard Misapa is leading the race.

Results from 31 polling stations tallied so far puts PF’s Maynard Misapa at 2 793 and his closest rival Dominic Musonda from the ruling MMD at 2 155.

The former rulling party UNIP’s candiate has less than 80 votes.

The official results are expected to be announced at 10:00hrs Zambia Time.

Voting started on a high note yesterday but a heavy afternoon downpour slowed down the turnout, by making it difficult for people to reach polling stations.. The heavy rains went on late into the evening and disrupted the movement of ballot boxes to the collation centre.

“The heavy rains have led to a decline in the number of voters and have also made the movement of ballot boxes difficult,” Bulangililo polling station presiding officer Albert Musawa said.

And an observer from the European Union, Aloys Lorkeers, who is in a group of five others, said voting was going on well in all the 15 polling stations he had visited.

Anti-Voter Apathy Project executive director Bonny Tembo also said his team had not observed any form of malpractices.

And Zambia Daily Mail reports that the Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) has commended political parties participating in the by-election for maintaining high levels of discipline, which have resulted in peaceful campaigns.

FODEP executive director McDonald Chipenzi, however, said it is important for political parties to conduct issue-based campaigns and adhere to the electoral code of conduct to make the work of the Electoral Commission of Zambia easier.

“We hope this kind of discipline, if maintained, will assure the nation of peaceful tripartite elections,” he said.

Mr Chipenzi said the Mporokoso by-election had no contentious issues which could have led to people shunning the poll.

“The campaign process in Mporokoso has been peaceful and most political parties have been trying to base their campaigns on issues,” Mr Chipenzi said.

The Mporokoso constituency parliamentary seat fell vacant after the resignation of member of Parliament Maynard Misapa from the MMD.

President Rupiah Banda has dismissed media reports that he was booed by the people of Mporokoso district.

Mr Banda said the people of Mporokoso received him well and wondered at what point they could have booed him.

The president said that he successfully toured the market in the district and the town centre, where a huge crowd of people turned up to have a glimpse of him.

He said this frustrated the Patriotic Front cadres.

Mr BANDA said the PF cadres later lined up at the end of the road as he was leaving the market where they way laid him and started flashing the PF symbol.

Speaking on arrival at the Ndola International Airport, the president said the result of the by-election would show exactly who is popular in Mporokoso.

President Banda said the same thing happened in Mpulungu where Change life Zambia Director Frank Bwalya way laid him and flashed red cards but the MMD still emerged victorious.

And Mr Banda has called on MMD members on the Copperbelt to continue re-organising the party in readiness for the 2011 general elections.

And Copperbelt Province Minister Mwasa Mbulakulima said the number of development projects taking place in all parts of Zambia is an indication that President Banda is a leader for all Zambians.

And MMD Vice Provincial Chairman Frank Ng’ambi said the party is strategizing to ensure that it scoops all the 22 parliamentary seats in the province.

ZNBC

Two people have died in Mazabuka after being shot by police during riots that have rocked the town for the last two days.

The riots followed the death of two people in a stampede ignited after police tear gassed a named bar in the district. The two men were shot by police officers who were trying to disperse an angry crowd.

Police have been trying to calm the situation in the town but the residents have persisted with their riotous behaviour. The residents have also been stoning cars passing through the town.

And government has strongly condemned the use of live bullets by the police officers. Home Affairs Minister Mkhondo Lunga says Government regrets that Police in Mazabuka have continued with their unprofessional conduct.

Mr Lungu has apologised on behalf of the government to the nation and the bereaved families.

The Home Affairs Minister has ordered the police command to institute investigations and ensure that those involved are held accountable and punished accordingly.

Mr Lungu has said that it was unfortunate that the break down in the law and order has continued in Mazabuka resulting in damage to property.

He said Mazabuka General Hospital was damaged forcing health workers to flee the hospital leaving patients unattended to.

Mr Lungu has since ordered for the deployment of more officers to Mazabuka. He has appealed to the residents to remain in doors to allow the Police to keep law and order.

[ZNBC]

The Patriotic Front (PF) party has dismissed media reports that it has ditched the United Party for National Development (UPND) ahead of this year’s general elections.

In an Interview with Voice of America (VOA) Africa Service, PF General Secretary, Wynter Kabimba, said that PF wanted a strong alliance, but expresses concern that recent insults and pronouncements by some junior members of the UPND questioning the credibility and integrity of his party’s leader are undermining the opposition coalition.

Mr Kabimba said that there have been no attempts at all on the part of the Patriotic Front to sabotage the UPND.He said the PF leader Micheal Sata wrote a letter to Hakainde Hichilema, leader of the UPND, informing him of his personal decision.He expressed his displeasure and disappointment, and he put a condition to the effect that he will not participate in any discussion with the UPND unless, and until, Joe Kalusa personally apologized to him.

“I’m disappointed that the UPND have decided to either misconstrue the content of that letter or decided to withhold the content of that letter and presented to outsiders to the effect that that letter by Mr. Sata is a decision by the Patriotic Front to disengage from the Pact.”

In the interview, Mr Kabimba accused the UPND leader of sponsoring the Degree clause in the hope that he would become the only legitimate candidate for the PACT because he , along with the ruling MMD, thought Mr Sata did not posses a degree. Mr Kabimba further alleged that the clause was only dropped after they realized that Mr Micheal Sata had in fact two degrees and would qualify to stand for presidency under the new constitution.

Kabimba also boldly declared in the interview that PF party can “singlehandedly” defeat the ruling MMD party in this year’s vote if the coalition collapsed.

“We would like, and we have always wanted, the Pact to survive, but it will not survive for as long as the UPND does not come out in the open and say that their agenda is to assume the presidency of the alliance. They have been very deceptive about this agenda. We do not believe that they mean well. We do not believe that they came into this alliance in good faith,” said Kabimba.

“I can tell you that, with or without this alliance, PF will win this election, I can guarantee you that.”

For the Full Interview click below to listen

VOA news

THE people of Mporokoso are voting on today to choose a member of Parliament to represent them. The political parties contesting the seat are MMD, UNIP, Patriotic Front (PF) and NAREP (National Restoration Party).

Returning officer Mwansa Mfula confirmed that all the officers and election materials are already in the 33 polling stations across the vast constituency.

The Mporokoso seat fell vacant when the MP Maynard Misapa resigned from MMD to join PF. Mr Misapa had just been relieved of his deputy ministerial position at Youth, Sport and Child development when he quit the ruling party.

MMD candidate Dominic Musonda said he is sure of winning the seat and that President Banda has made it easy for him by campaigning in the constituency.

Mr Musonda who is former Mporokoso District Commissioner said he is well known throughout the district and the people know that he can deliver on his promises.

UNIP candidate Anthony Nkonde is also confident of winning the election.

He said the PF and MMD candidates have been MPs before and had allegedly not delivered.

NAREP candidate Joyce Mukando said men have allegedly failed to represent the people of Mporokoso and it is time for a woman to take charge.

She said she has received overwhelming support from the grassroots whom she worked with through community clubs.

PF’s Mr Misapa could not be reached by press time.
Anti Voter Apathy executive director Bonnie Tembo said the race is mainly between the MMD and PF.
Mporokoso constituency has just over 12, 000 registered voters.

AVAP, SACCORD (Southern African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes) and CARITAS Zambia have deployed election monitors in all the 33 polling stations.

[Zambia Daily Mail]