Amend Electoral Law To Forbid Politically-Motivated Donations – UPND

UPND chairman for policy and research Joseph Lungu has asked parliament to amend the Electoral Act to include a clause which forbids political party donations during election periods.

The UPND have raised concerns over the large amount of money that the government are currently spending in donating cash and materials all over the country as part of a ploy to increase PF voter numbers in the August elections. Joseph Lungu said that the spending is against the country’s high local and international debt. 

Referring to the World Bank’s definition of a well-functioning democratic state, Joseph Lungu said that to have a successful democracy, the government must provide “adequately for the entrenchment and preservation of healthy political competition and popular participation by citizens in the electoral process”.

Lungu continued by urging parliament to “seriously consider the prospect of amending the current Electoral Code of Conduct by prohibiting political parties and their members, supporters and candidate’s from offering gifts or making donations to individual citizens, groups of citizens, chieftains or institutions” after an election has been announced.

This comes following a string of recent ‘empowerment’ donations and gifts from the PF all over the country.

“Money, vehicles, bicycles and corn meal are being ‘showered’ lavishly and selectively on chieftains and other societal groups throughout the country” Lungu said.

Both the cost and the legitimacy of these gifts are of concern to Lungu.

“…is there any way of telling whether or not the gifts and/or donations are laundered, or are being funded from public coffers?”

Lungu finished in re-iterating the fact that healthy political competition must be based on the soundness of political contestants’ policies in addressing the socio-economic problems which the country currently faces.

“My fellow citizens will, therefore, do well for their families and the future of our beloved country not to be hoodwinked by the gifts and donations being ‘showered’ on them when they cast their valuable votes on August 12, 2021.”