Church mothers bodies blame candidates for violence

Christian Churches Monitoring Group (CCMG), an election monitoring coalition comprising the Zambia Episcopal Confernce, Council of Churches in Zambia, Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia and the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection is appalled by the unprecedented violence which has characterized campaigns ahead of next week’s presidential election.

ZEC Secretary General Fr Cleophas Lungu,EFZ Executive Director Reverend Pukuta Mwanza,CCZ General Secretary Reverend Susanne Matale and JCTR Executive Director Fr Leonard Chiti in a joint signed statement have described as a shame and an embarrassment for a country that has prided itself to be an Oasis of peace and has a track record of peacefully going through multiparty elections since the return to plural politics in 1991 to have campaigns characterized by violence.

They have since condemned in the strongest sense, the political violence that has characterized the Presidential election campaigns.

They have blamed leaders and candidates of the political parties involved in violence, stating that there is no doubt that this ugly violence is sponsored by them and motivated by a false illusion that the people of Zambia can be intimidated into voting for them.

They state that this is a fallacy as violence will only succeed in alienating voters from such candidates and creating voter apathy.

CCMG has since called on police service to do much more than they are doing now in curbing political violence so that the people of Zambia can truly express their free will in the election.

And the Christian Churches Monitoring Group has questioned the motivation of the endorsements some presidential candidates have received.

The CCMG say they worry very much if the endorsements are meant to be pre-election deals cut by individuals or groups of people to influence major decisions by whoever will be elected President when they are in office.

They have also expressed concern over the apparent outbreak of campaign funds in the upcoming elections.

They state that it is very dangerous for the future of the country to have a winning candidate with hands tied by the financial sponsors of his/her campaigns who may demand pay back favours that may not be in the interest of the country.

Meanwhile the CCMG has called upon all eligible registered voters to turn out in great numbers and exercise their democratic right to vote on 20th January 2015.

They have also called upon the Electoral Commission of Zambia to massively publicise polling station locations.