Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
The Zambia Electoral Alliance (ZEA) a consortium of civil society organizations has welcomed the announcement of the election date by acting President Dr Guy Scott.
Alliance Spokesperson Guess Nyirenda has since appealed to the Electoral Commission of Zambia to quickly set the nomination dates.
Mr Nyirenda says the nomination will assist Zambians and the electorate in particular to know which candidates would successfully be nominated and subsequently contest the elections on the 20th of January, 2015 thereby making informed choices.
He states that Zambia Electoral Alliance would also like to appeal to the ECZ to conduct voter education and popularize the Electoral Code of Conduct.
Mr Nyirenda notes that the announcement of the election date sets the roadmap to the election and opens the campaign period.
He adds that the announcement entails that stakeholders must be up to speed if the election and its results are to be free, fair and credible and a reflection of the will of the people respectively.
Mr Nyirenda further states that Zambia Electoral Alliance also appeals to the political parties and candidates to observe and respect the Electoral Code of Conduct and ensure that they are issue based in their campaigns.
He adds that the alliance also demands that the Zambia Police generally and the police personnel particularly conduct themselves professionally during this campaign period.
Mr Nyirenda says the police must administer the provisions of the Public Order Act with professionalism and should not hinder any political party or candidate from conducting their campaigns through rallies and any other meetings effectively.
He further states that the announcement of the election date also means that the media must now begin to cover all contesting political parties and candidates equally and in a balanced manner.