Zambian Civic Group Decries Opposition Arrests Before Local Vote
Zambian police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrests and the group's accusations of partisanship.
LUSAKA, Zambia — A coalition of Zambian civic and religious groups on Tuesday expressed "deep concern" over the arrest of opposition party officials ahead of a local election, alleging the detentions undermined democratic rights, writes Winston Mwale.
The Collective of Concerned Members of Society and Churches in Zambia said in a statement that the arrest of the Patriotic Front mayor of Ndola and two party councilors in Kitwe prevented them from participating in deputy mayoral elections on March 28.
"This development raises serious questions about the integrity and impartiality of Zambia's public institutions like the Zambia Police, whose mandate is to enforce the law fairly and firmly for all citizens regardless of political affiliation while safeguarding democratic governance," the group said.
The Patriotic Front is the main opposition to President Hakainde Hichilema's United Party for National Development, which won the presidential and parliamentary elections in August 2021.
The civic coalition, known as CCMG, said the arrests of the Patriotic Front officials "undermined the integrity of elections and democratic governance and erodes public trust in both the electoral system and the Zambia Police."
"These arrests can be interpreted as partisan and CCMG urges the Zambia Police to exercise professionalism, impartiality, and fairness in their conduct, to publicly release information related to the charges and the necessity of the timing of the arrests, and to conduct an internal investigation into the matter," said CCMG steering committee spokespeople Fr. Alex Muyebe and Bishop Andrew Mwenda.
The statement noted that while upholding rule of law is necessary, "these arrests undermined the integrity of elections and democratic governance."
Zambian police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrests and the group's accusations of partisanship.