Peter Sinkamba 

By Michael Kaluba and Patricia Male

Green Party leader Peter Sinkamba says declaring a state of public emergency would be justified now if Zambia continues to lose lives and witness damage to property through the current electoral violence in some parts of the country.

Mr. Sinkamba says what has manifested is that both the Electoral Commission of Zambia- ECZ, who have repeatedly been dared by the opposition UPND who publicly declared to defy their directives, and the Zambia Police have so far failed to manage the elections.
He has suggested that the ECZ invokes provisions of the electoral act granting the commission powers to disqualify violent and non-compliant political parties or certain candidates from participating in the elections.

Mr. Sinkamba said this in response to President Edgar Lungu’s warning over the weekend that he will not hesitate to use his constitutional powers to address electoral violence if state institutions like the ECZ and police failed to do their work to stop the vice.

Meanwhile, the Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection –JCTR- says it is possible for political violence to be completely curtailed if only good leadership is shown in the UPND and PF political camps.
JCTR Executive Director Father Alex Muyebe says it is worrying and disheartening that Zambia is slowly slipping into a situation of civil strife with rising spate of violent attacks between UPND and PF cadres ahead of the general elections.

Father Muyebe says Zambians will hold both UPND and PF leaders responsible for any unnecessary loss of property and life due to political violence.
PHOENIX NEWS

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