The United Party for National Development (UPND) says it will participate in the upcoming Pambashe and Petauke Central parliamentary by-elections in an orderly and peaceful manner.
The ruling party officially presented Justine Kapema and Severino Lungu as its adopted candidates to contest the Pambashe and Petauke Central seats in the by-elections on February 6th, 2025 with nomination day set for tomorrow.
After emerging victorious in the recently held by-elections in Kawambwa, UPND chairman for elections Gary Nkombo says the party will maintain its record of violent-free conduct as done in Kawambwa.
“I would like to make a commitment on behalf of our party to the citizens of Zambia, to be particular Pambashe and Petauke Central, that as the case was in the mayoral and subsequently the member of parliament election in Kawambwa, for a change, we did not record any violence and as a party we are committed to conduct a violent-free election departure from how things were before,” Nkombo said.
Nkombo further called on other parties and candidates participating in the two by-elections to emulate the UPND by ensuring they compete for the two seats by way of ideas rather than violence.
“The plea that would like to make side by side with that commitment is that all other players should do likewise that there should not be any violence in the contestation of the ideas and we are able to do for the people people whose interest and aspirations we are trying to represent,” he said.
The Pambashe parliamentary was declared vacant following the conviction Ronald Chitotela while the Petauke Central seat was vacated by fugitive Emmanuel Jay Banda who is still at large.
