PEACEFUL NOMINATIONS IN FIVE CONSTITUENCIES, ELATES FODEP

PEACEFUL NOMINATIONS IN FIVE CONSTITUENCIES, ELATES FODEP Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) would like to express its happiness at the peace that characterized the nomination process in the five (5) constituencies where parliamentary by-elections are scheduled to take place on September 11, 2014. It is indeed gratifying to learn that the nomination process progressed without any negative electoral incident and that political parties conducted themselves in a mature and disciplined manner throughout the process. FODEP therefore commends all participating political parties for valuing peace, tolerance, and co-existence during the nomination process, a practice that should always be envied and pursued by all in the coming days when the electoral campaigns heat up. Now that official campaigns have commenced, it is FODEP’s hope and prayer that concerned stakeholders would operate within and respect the provisions of the Electoral Code of Conduct. Electorates would only have confidence in the electoral and political processes if competing political parties, candidates and supporters abhors and avoid violence, corruption and other electoral malpractices but embrace peace and love for each other. It now remains the role of all stakeholders, the media and the police inclusive, to ensure that the electoral environment continue to remain peaceful and accommodative to all competing parties to canvass support without hindrance. With eroding confidence levels among political parties towards the work of the police to curb electoral violence in the electoral process, FODEP would like to particularly urge the police to redeem themselves by carrying out their duties without partiality to enable a fair playing ground for all players in order to recoup public and stakeholders’ confidence. FODEP would also like to further remind all civil servants and ministers to desist from using government facilities, transportation and other resources for partisan activities as the act is against Part III Regulation 21(k) of the electoral Act No. 12 of 2006 and Electoral Code of Conduct. McDonald Chipenzi Executive Director