TONSE TO PETION BY-ELECTION

…the alliance says its candidate won by more than 7,000 votes claims it has gathered substantial evidence to support allegations that the election was marred by brazen malpractice, including vote buying, intimidation and the use of government resources to influence the outcome

By BARNABAS ZULU

TONSE Alliance lawyer Celestine Mukandila has announced plans to challenge the election of Nason Musonda, who was recently elected as the new Member of Parliament for Kawambwa under the United Party for National Development (UPND) ticket.
In an interview yesterday, Mr. Mukandila revealed that the alliance had gathered substantial evidence to support claims that the election was marred by multiple instances of malpractice, including vote buying, intimidation of polling aagents and election monitors, and the use of government resources to influence the outcome.

Mr. Musonda won the seat with 5,011 votes, defeating his closest rival, Mr. Danstan Mwansa, who received 3,800 votes. However, the election has been widely condemned by various stakeholders who argue that the process lacked transparency and was tainted by electoral misconduct.
“Yes, we are most likely petitioning the Kawambwa seat,” Mr. Mukandila confirmed. “We are meeting with the legal committee today to finalize the petition, as I just returned from Kawambwa yesterday,”Mr Mukandila said.
Mr. Mukandila emphasized that the Tonse Alliance had sufficient evidence to support their claims, including Parallel Voter Tabulation (PVT) results, which indicated that their candidate had actually won the election with more than 7,000 votes.
“We have solid evidence, including PVT results that were sent to me and Hon. Chisenga. According to the data, our candidate won with over 7,000 votes. We will present this evidence in court,” Mr. Mukandila stated.
One specific incident that Mr. Mukandila highlighted involved a polling station where the total number of votes cast was reported as 460, yet the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) declared more than 1,000 votes for that station.
“The total number of votes cast at that station was only 460. We will pursue this matter in court and see where it leads,” he said.
The election has also drawn sharp criticism from various organizations. Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) condemned the widespread vote buying allegedly orchestrated by the ruling UPND, stating that such actions severely undermined the integrity of the electoral process.
In addition, the Christian Coalition Monitoring Group and other local stakeholders have voiced their concerns about the election, calling it neither free nor fair..fundamental principles essential for any functioning democracy.
As the Tonse Alliance prepares to take legal action, the matter is expected to attract further scrutiny and debate on the credibility of the electoral process in Kawambwa.