OWN CORRESPONDENT, Lusaka | Wednesday 7.00pm.
FOURTEEN Zambian political parties have been de-registered with immediate effect, according to an announcement made by the national secretary of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy, Michael Sata.
Sata did not provide reasons for the government move, but said the 14 parties will not be allowed to attend the national inter-party talks scheduled for the end of the month. Most of the named parties have been inactive over a long period of time, since they neither have members nor office bearers apart from a “president” and secretary.
All together Zambia has more than 36 registered political parties and the deregistration of the 14 will leave about 20 active parties. Of these, only four have members in parliament — the ruling MMD, opposition United National Independence Party, National Party, and Agenda for Zambia.
Top of the agenda at the inter-party talks will be the concerns of opposition parties on how best Zambia can level the political playing field ahead of elections that will pick councillors for the district and city administrations in the country. Opposition parties are particularly unhappy that government has remained adamant that the discredited voters’ roll prepared by the Israeli company Nikuv Computers for the 1996 presidential and parliamentary election should again be used for the local government poll. They have, in the past, rejected the roll saying it provides an unfair advantage to the ruling party in elections. — AIA