TheCable

Ibrahim Gambari, a Nigerian diplomat and Commonwealth’s special adviser on political dialogue, has urged Zambians to contribute their best towards the success of the ongoing presidential and parliamentary elections.

Addressing a press conference at the headquarters of the Electoral Commission of Zambia in Lusaka, Gambari advised citizens of the Southern African nation to be conscious of their country’s reputation as a role model for peace in the sub-region.

He advised politicians not to see election as a do or die affair, expressing concern over incidents of violence in the buildup to the election.

“As you are aware, in consultation with the Electoral Commission of Zambia, the secretary-general of the Commonwealth appointed me as the Commonwealth special adviser on political dialogue in June this year,” he said.

“My role has been to support the ECZ’s efforts towards encouraging an environment conducive for the upcoming electoral processes.

“My appointment was informed by the increasing electoral and political tensions – and sometimes unprecedented electoral violence – that we have witnessed in Zambia ahead of these polls. The ECZ, political parties, civil society organisations, the international community and the Commonwealth Secretariat saw merit in supporting the ECZ and Zambians’ efforts to conduct peaceful elections.

“So my role, which is essentially preventive and peace building in an electoral context, is different from that of election observers, though complementary to an extent.

“All stakeholders I have met are of the view that tensions and the incidence of election and campaign-related violence have been a major source of concern. Violent clashes, mainly between the PF and the UPND party cadres, have unfortunately led to deaths, maiming and loss of property. Injuring another fellow citizen or destroying property, let alone causing the death of a brother or sister over politics and competition for service to the nation is highly regrettable.

“A key observation I quickly made was the level of polarisation, lack of trust and confidence and the lack of constructive face-to-face dialogue among and between political contenders. Hence, the contestants for political offices have largely been talking at rather than talking to each other.

“All stakeholders must put their hands on deck to ensure that these elections are peaceful and credible. Ensuring peaceful and credible elections is not the sole responsibility of the election management body. It is a nation’s shared responsibility that involves the electoral commission, political leaders, elder statesmen, national institutions like the police and the judiciary, political parties, civil society, the media, opinion leaders and traditional structures and the population. These electoral processes can be supported by the international community but international stakeholders cannot substitute for the national players. In this regard, international partners can only be actors in a supporting role.”