ZAMBIAN OPPOSITION TO CONSULT REGIONAL BODIES ON RB’S ELECTORAL ELIGIBILITY

The Patriotic Front has threatened to write to the Southern African Developing community SADC, the African Union AU and the United Nation UN on whether the ruling MMD should go ahead and field President Rupiah Banda as its presidential candidate.

PF Secretary General Winter Kabimba also said this week that the party has also written to the Law Association of Zambia to intervene in the matter of President Rupiah Banda’s parentage and his eligibility as candidate in the 2008 presidential elections as well as the forthcoming general elections.

Mr. Kabimba said that in the absence of a response from LAZ, the party will take up the matter and write to SADC, AU, and UN before president Banda satisfies Zambians that he qualifies to stand as a candidate.

But the law Association of Zambia has said it is studying the petition from the Patriotic Front (PF) regarding President Banda’s parentage and his eligibility to stand in this year’s election.

LAZ president Musa Mwenya says the association has not yet resolved the issues regarding the contents of the letter and promised to react to it once they conclude it.

Mr. Mwenya said the PF has a right to take the step on President Banda’s parentage.

Meanwhile, a local non-governmental organisation, Citizen’s Forum Executive Director, Simon Kabanda has said President Banda’s parentage should be fully investigated.

Mr Kabanda noted that the issues surrounding President is of great concern and should not be taken lightly.

He said the PF’s decision to take the matter to the United Nations and the African Union should be supported by all well meaning Zambians.

Mr. Kabanda said the country’s constitution is clear on who should be eligible to contest for the position of the Republican President.

But MMD national secretary Richard Kachingwe has said that the Patriotic Front is panicking because it has become apparent that President Rupiah Banda will win this year’s presidential elections due to the systematic progress and organised moves that the MMD has made

Major Kachingwehas explained that in the Supreme Court there is a landmark judgment which stated that it did not matter whether one’s parents were Zambian or not but what mattered was whether the candidate was a Zambian.

And the United Party for National Development says it will not be part of calls for President Rupiah Banda to step down because of parentage issues.

Deputy Spokesperson, Cornelius Mweetwa says the UPND wants to champion issue based campaigns ahead of the September, 20, elections.

Mr Mweetwa says the UPND is ready to meet President Banda and the MMD in this year’s elections.

Mr Mweetwa was speaking in an interview with the state-owned national television broadcaster, ZNBC.