By JULIUS PHIRI, BRIAN HATYOKA and MERCY MASEKO –
THE MMD has at the last minute pulled out from contesting the Malambo and Petauke Constituency by-elections scheduled for June 30, this year.

• PATRIOTIC Front candidate for Petauke Central, Dora Siliya (second left) after filing her nomination yesterday, (right) UPND candidate Allan Zulu (in suit) waves to his supporters after also successfully filing his nomination. Pictures by JULIUS PHIRI.

Initially, the former ruling party had indicated that it would not contest the Mulobezi parliamentary by-election on account of the party having divisions in the area.
But in a sharp u-turn yesterday, during the filing in of nomination papers, MMD national secretary Mwansa Mbulakulima instructed the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) officials not to accept any nominations from the party candidates.
The MMD had adopted Jacob Mwanza who was scheduled to lodge in nomination papers at 11:00 hours for Petauke Central, while Zephaniah Kaleya was supposed to file his nomination for Malambo at 09:00 hours.
The ECZ in the two nomination centres received instructions from Mr Mbulakulima that the party would not contest.
MMD spokesperson Raphael Nakachinda also said the party decided not to contest all the three parliamentary elections as it is undergoing ‘healing’ arising from the divisions that rocked it during the January 20, Presidential elections.
In Petauke, three political parties yesterday successfully filed in their nominations papers for the Petauke Central Parliamentary by-election.
UNIP’s Ignatius Phiri was the first to file his nomination papers at 10:30 hours and was followed by United Party for National Development (UPND) candidate Allan Zulu around 12:30 hours.
Patriotic Front (PF) candidate Dora Siliya managed to file her nominations at 14:30 hours.
In Mambwe District, four candidates successfully filed  their nominations to contest the Malambo parliamentary by-election.
The nominations took place at the Mambwe Council Chamber with PF candidate Jack Shuma filing in  papers  at 10:00 hours followed by UNIP’s Jairo Mchenga who filed at 11:00 hours.
MMD candidate Zephaniah Kaleya was scheduled to be the first to file  his nomination papers before instructions were received from Mr Mbulakulima to the returning officer not to accept papers from the party candidates at parliamentary and ward by-elections.
Mr Mchenga was followed by UPND candidate, Peter Phiri, who filed his papers at 12:00 hours before independent candidate, Florence Mayopa, filed  her nominations at 13:00 hours.
In Mulobezi, five candidates have successfully filed  their nominations for the Mulobezi by-election in Western Province.
The five candidates are UPND’s Hastings Sililo, Green Party’s Esau Mwanza, Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD)‘s Collins Mbangu, PF’s Patricia Mulasikwanda and UNIP’s Alfred Mandumbwa.
Mulobezi Constituency returning officer Fred Kapusa closed the nominations around 15:32 hours.
All the five candidates expressed confidence of winning the forth-coming parliamentary by-election in the area.