OPPOSITION UPND TO ANNOUNCE ADOPTED PARLIAMENTARY ASPIRANTS THIS WEEK

A Zambian opposition party, the United Party for National Development is this week set to announce the 150 names of parliamentary candidates that have been adopted to contest on the party ticket.

UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma has told the stat-owned daily newspaper, the Times of Zambia, that the party had concluded provincial interviews for people aspiring to stand on the party ticket as parliamentary candidates in this year’s general elections.

Mr Kakoma says the adoption process had been concluded at all levels, ward, constituency and Provincial and what was remaining was just the announcement.

He has explained that the party is confident that candidates to be adopted in all the constituencies would not be difficult to sell and would win the parliamentary seats because they had not been imposed on the electorate.

Mr Kakoma also says the National Management Committee of the party would soon meet to look at the list and make final recommendations before making the announcements to their members and the electorate.

The MMD has already made known their aspiring parliamentary candidates and had since introduced them to the electorate.

Meanwhile, the lead opposition Patriotic Front leader, Michael Sata has questioned what the adopted rebel members of parliament would offer to the electorates if they were to be elected for the second time.

The outspoken opposition leader was commenting on the adoption of the 5 former PF rebel MPS by the MMD party, opposition leader cautioned the people of Zambia against voting the rebel MPs in this year’s elections.

Mr. Sata has however noted that rebel mps have been fielded in the PF strongholds are headed for doom. Mr. Sata has since urged the people to carefully scrutinize the parliamentary candidates and ensure that choose people who will represent them effectively.

Mid-way the immediate past national assembly term, Mr Sata and at least 25 of his members differed over the constitution making process, which consequently led to their being estranged and later expelled from the opposition party.

However, at least 4 of the respective former members of parliament have been adopted by the ruling party, MMD to contest in various constituencies on the party’s ticket in the 20^th September 2011 general elections.