Bob Sichinga asks Zaloumis to resign as ECZ boss

By BARNABAS ZULU

FORMER Commerce, Trade, and Industry Minister Bob Sichinga has criticized Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis, urging her to resign for failing to manage the institution and its mandate of overseeing elections.
Mr. Sichinga’s demand comes in the wake of the controversial handling of the Kawambwa by-election, which he has described as a disaster for the ECZ.
In an interview yesterday, Mr Sichinga slammed Ms. Zaloumis for undermining the credibility of the ECZ through what he called an orchestrated failure in the management of the election process.
“I am so sorry I have to be personal. But if I am chairing something and that institution has performed as badly as the Electoral Commission of Zambia has done, the best thing for me is to resign,” Mr. Sichinga said.
“My leadership is not providing the kind of leadership that makes my institution outstanding. I am just adding to the problems of the country and am not solving them. If I am worth my salt, I will just say, ‘I have not been able to fulfill it and so I am leaving,” he said.
He said Ms. Zaloumis should consider stepping down, as her leadership had failed to meet the standards expected from the ECZ.
“The chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia should consider resigning because she has proved to us that she is not capable,” he said.
Mr. Sichinga pointed to the discrepancies in the Kawambwa by-election, accusing Ms. Zaloumis and the ECZ of dishonesty and mismanagement.
“How do you say there were a thousand people when those who voted were just 460?” he asked. “How about honesty? How do you look at yourself? Are you worth it? How do you create the reputation of the institution when you have such character?” Mr Sichinga wondered.
He was adamant that Ms. Zaloumis’ actions had only tarnished the ECZ’s credibility and integrity.
He also expressed his concern about the potential consequences for future elections, saying that if the ECZ could not manage elections at the constituency level, there was little hope for free and fair national elections.
“There can be no free and fair elections because if you cannot do it at constituency level, what about national level?” Mr. Sichinga questioned.
Mr Sichinga is urging the other commissioners at ECZ to follow Ms. Zaloumis’ lead and resign, saying that they, too, had contributed to the erosion of the moral integrity of the institution.
“It is now difficult to trust the Electoral Commission of Zambia, and the commissioners running it should also resign because they have eroded the moral fabric of that institution,” Mr. Sichinga said.