Msanzala retains to polls

Msanzala, Petauke. ALL is set for the Msanzala parliamentary by election in Petauke district today. The seat fell vacant after the immediately independent Member of Parliament (MP) Colonel Joseph Lungu resigned to join the ruling PF.

Colonel Lungu did not only resign alone but with two other independent councilors who included James Lungu for Nyakuwise ward and William Banda for Lusangazi ward who have also been adopted by PF in the local government by elections.

The vast and remote Msanzala constituency has a total of seven wards with 43 polling stations with a total of 29, 428 eligible registered voters. During the September 20 tripartite elections only a total of 15,925 people casted their votes representing a voting turnover of about 54 per cent.

Colonel Lungu who had contested the seat as independent candidate polled 8,149 votes beating his close rival from the MMD Peter Daka who managed a total of 6,203 votes. The then PF Candidate Goldfrey Banda had polled 722 only, former area MP and Tourism minister in the MMD Levison Mumba who had contest the seat on the UPND ticket only managed 277 votes.

Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) candidate Betram Nyendwa had 71 votes After three weeks of vigorous campaign trail by all the three political parties including one independent candidate taking part in today’s polls are bubbling with confidence of scooping the seat in the province perceived to be the stronghold of the opposition MMD.

Today’s parliamentary by-election will be a litmus paper for the ruling party which has only won one of the 19 constituencies in the province. During the September polls, the ruling PF managed to scooped Chama south constituency from the MMD.

Unfortunately with the creation of Muchinga province, Chama district in whose jurisdiction the constituency fells is now under Muchinga constituency leaving the ruling party with now parliamentary seat.

The Msanzala parliamentary by elections has not been spared with incidences of violences as cadres from the ruling PF and MMD who are the main contender in today’s polls exchanging brawls.

The nasty incidence saw an MMD cadres being rushed to St Frances Mission Hospital after being stabbed in the stomarch by a suspected PF cadres.

Incidences of physical violence were only quelled off, after the Inspector fr General of Police Martin Malama deployed some trucks loads of police officers including some trainee police officers from Lilayi police college.

The Presence of heavy police officers clad in their riot geared stopped minimized the escalating of physical violence in Msanzala constituency.

Eastern province commissioner of police Grace Chipalila said only three incidences of physical violence were recorded in Msanzala constituency.