• PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu (right), with PF parliamentary candidate for Chawama Constituency, Lawrence Sichalwe before he filed in his nominations at Chawama Primary School in Lusaka yesterday. Picture by CLEVER ZULU

By DELPHINE ZULU and JAMES KUNDA –

POLITICAL party and independent candidates participating in the Chawama and Masaiti constituencies’ by-elections have successfully filed in their nominations.
Meanwhile, President Edgar Lungu has advised political parties taking part in the April 14, 2015 parliamentary by-elections to avoid provoking each other in their campaign messages.
Mr Lungu said provoking the situation might precipitate violence in the country which had been labelled as one of the best democratic countries in Africa.
He was speaking in Chawama after he witnessed the filing in of nomination by the Patriotic Front (PF) candidate Mr Lawrence Sichalwe.
The President also asked campaigners to be responsible and avoid plunging the country into violence which had seen in-fighting and expected it to come to end.
“Let us not go to an extent of provoking the situation where people begin to try and defend their integrity by fighting you, opinion is a right but the freedom of opinion goes with responsibility,” he said.
PF Secretary General Davies Chama said at a rally afterwards at Chawama Grounds that Mr Lungu had shown honour to the electorate by going to witness the filing in of the adopted party candidate.
Others that filed in their nominations were UNIP candidate Bywell Kaluba who arrived at 11:00 hours with his supporters and was followed by Martha Mumba from the National Revolutionary Party (NRP).
Ms Mumba is NRP leader Cosmo Mumba’s wife.
Fourth Revolution Party candidate Benson Silwimba arrived at 12:00 hours and also successfully filed in his nomination papers.
The last to file in was United Party for National Development (UPND) candidate Charles Kasalwe who promised to ensure that he worked on drainages, construct more roads, clinics and schools as the area was too vast.
Elsewhere, five candidates contesting the Masaiti parliamentary by-election yesterday successfully filed in their nominations at the Masaiti district council.
The filing of nominations which opened at 09:00 hours were peaceful, with all five aspiring candidates meeting the requirements set out by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).
Independent candidate Lyton Mokola was the first to file in his nomination at 09:46 hours.
Mr Mokola, whose election symbol is the umbrella, pledged to improve the livelihood of people in his constituency if voted to Parliament.
The independent candidate was followed by Mobby Mutaya of the Fourth Revolution party who filed in his nomination papers at 11:50 hours.
Mr Mutaya said he had a 90 per cent chance of scooping the seat as he was an indigenous resident of Masaiti and knew how to alleviate suffering in the area.
Next to file in his papers was Micheal Katambo of the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) who arrived at 13:00 hours in the company of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Minister Joseph Katema.
Mr Katambo held the Masaiti seat on the MMD ticket before it was nullified by the Supreme Court, hence the imminent by-election on April, 14.
Mr Katambo who filed in his nomination at 13:48 hours said he will continue the developmental projects he initiated as an MMD Member of Parliament (MP).
United Party for National Development (UPND) aspiring candidate Peter Mumba then arrived to file in his nominations just before 14:30 hours.
Mr Mumba said he would uplift the living standards of people in Masaiti by engaging them regarding challenges facing their livelihood.
Lason Musumali of the United National Independence Party (UNIP) was last to file in his nomination at 15:35 hours.
He also pledged to develop Masaiti.