Press Statement A Matter of Very Serious Concern [For Immediate Release] Zambia is a democracy and every citizen has the responsibility to invest in the growth and maturity of this democracy. The holding of elections is fundamental to this end. It is the expectation of the citizens that through these elections, they will have food on their tables, clean and safe water in their homes, unhindered access to education and healthcare, employment and affordable housing. However, because of the fraud that we have witnessed, this goal of the citizens might remain a pipe dream. It has been observed that though the citizens have confidence in our electoral process, this process is in danger of failing them because of the Patriotic Front’s [PF’s] continued interference. We are aware of bad elements that are in our midst that are making a mockery of our electoral democracy. Because of their malpractice, their deliberate manipulation of results, citizens are having their vote stolen. It is in the interest of every citizen that the ECZ is strengthened, that it conducts truly free and fair elections, because unity and peace in the nation hinge on this. We are aware, as we had earlier warned, that the transfer of results of the presidential election held on the 20th January 2015, has been marred with gross and glaring irregularities. Many of the results so far publicized by the ECZ do not reflect the actual voting pattern of the citizens as admitted by the ECZ itself. Many of the results have been manipulated to suit the interests of one political party. Many of these results are fake; they are mere products of deception. Note that it is the interest of every citizen that accurate results are given. The truth must prevail. All of us collectively as citizens must ask for nothing but the truth. Anything short of this, is unacceptable to the democratic rights of our people. We demand that the winner must not be declared until the verification of all results is done and consensus is about them is established. For example, even if this takes weeks, the declaration of the winner must not be based on fraud, but on the truth. We wish to thank all Zambians including members of UPND and supporters for the manner in which they have conducted themselves so far. It is only fair that the wishes and aspirations of the Zambian people that cast their vote are respected. The discrepancies in the election results observed so far are a very serious concern that border on national security. We have successfully participated in this election and know that we are headed for victory. It is therefore important that we all handle this matter with the seriousness it deserves. We therefore wish to appeal to all Zambians and stakeholders to let the electoral process to be concluded in a fair, transparent and orderly manner. We further wish to thank all the citizens that voted for expressing their will, and we shall do whatever we can to ensure that their will is respected. Issued by Dr. Canisius Banda UPND Vice President (Politics) 23rd January 2015
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 18:31:39 +0000
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