MMD rejection of candidates
By Chris Habeenzu
The ruling MMD last week released the names of their adopted members of parliament to contest the one hundred fifty constituencies.
A few days after making known the names of parliamentary aspirants, the party has been characterized with protests all aimed at rejecting candidates which they claim were imposed on them.
The ruling party's lower organs have show unhappiness over the manner the MMD's National Executive Committee (NEC) to come up with what they say were not their preferred candidates.
Way before the adoption process of the parliamentary candidates commenced, President Rupiah Banda assured the MMD of letting the lower organs and constituents' wishes. The announcement sent waves of joy in the MMD members.
Tuesday July 19th at exactly eighteen hours, journalists who rushed to State House when they were called hoped that President Rupiah Banda may dissolve parliament and later cabinet even when they knew that he will only do so after the Election Commission of Zambia (ECZ) announce its final voters register only to be issued with a list of candidates.
After this was made known MMD members mostly from the grassroots were unhappy with the final list of aspiring candidates for the ruling party.
One would want to ask whether the number of protests all aimed at expressing displeasure over the manner the list of candidates was compiled will grant the MMD the most needed victory in the upcoming tripartite elections.
Political pundits have predicted a tightly contested 2011 general election.