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New Heritage Party President Chishala Kateka has urged Zambians to understand electoral dynamics ahead of polls, saying fielding a single opposition candidate matters more at parliamentary and local government level than for the presidency.
Kateka said voters should know exactly where to cast their vote at all levels depending on which side of the political divide they sit.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday, Kateka noted that there had been pressure for the opposition to field one presidential candidate to defeat incumbent UPND’s Hakainde Hichilema.
She argued that it was not a necessity due to Zambia’s 50 percent+1 electoral system.
Kateka explained that even with multiple strong opposition candidates splitting votes, their combined tally can still deny the incumbent the 50%+1 threshold and force a re-run between the top two.
“Let us therefore not despair that we have a number of strong presidential candidates participating as their votes collectively add up to deny the incumbent that magic number of 50percent+1,” she said.
Kateka said the real danger for the opposition lies in parliamentary and council races, which use First Past the Post.
“If ever unity amongst Opposition was needed, it is at this level. The consequence of division at this level means that if UPND get 20 percent but each of all the other candidates get less than 20 percent even if combined they get 80 percent, then the UPND candidate carries the day,” she stated.
She warned that it was suicidal for parties like NRPUP and Resolute to field separate candidates in the same constituency or ward, and said it was still not too late to align opposition candidates.
Kateka also stressed the importance of opposition winning a parliamentary majority, citing UPND’s alleged penchant to changing laws and regulations with impunity to favor its stay in power.
“Voting in a majority of UPND MPs in Parliament would be a total disaster for the country, with a UPND majority parliament, laws could be so changed that by 2031, Zambia as we know it will not exist and may become a de-facto one-party state,” she said.
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