Monday, October 06, 2008
Electoral fraud seems to be every politician’s business these days.
After the recent fraud-ridden elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe, election-ready countries on the continent are gearing up against possible mischief. Incumbent and opposition agents are susceptible to rigging elections, although the former has the upper hand most of the times. Some political activists in Zambia have just formed an anti-rigging organization ahead of the October 30 snap elections.
Following the death of Zambia’s President, Levy Mwanawasa, an
electoral constitutional requirement is to be fulfilled in order choose his successor. Fearing that the acting president might be gaining sympathy votes, a group of concerned Zambians and lawyers have formed an anti rigging organization to check any electoral malpractices.
Apparently the country has a history of unresolved electoral disputes
after each election. The group is bent on using the law to prevent
state institutions capable of bias to exhibit their stock-in-trade. It
has even filed a legal suit against the government for the acting
president to stop work until after the elections because he has a lead already with state apparatus at his disposal.