Minister of Information and Media Cornelius Mweetwa has dispelled assertions by the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) that the Petauke Central and Pambashe parliamentary by-election campaigns have been marred by violence.
Mweetwa, who is the Chief Government Spokesperson, stated that the campaigns for the two parliamentary by-elections set for tomorrow, February 6, 2025, have been peaceful, with no incidents of political violence reported.
“We would like to indicate that these two parliamentary by-elections and two local government by-elections have generally gone event-free, meaning that they have occurred without any major flashpoints of violence or controversy whatsoever,” Mweetwa said.
Speaking at a press briefing in Petauke today, Mweetwa urged members of the public to disregard the PF’s claims of violence in Petauke and Pambashe as they are false.
“We would therefore like to assure the nation that some of the information coming from certain political vantage points should be treated with a pinch of salt because they are laced with misinformation and disinformation,” he said.
He added that the PF is still affected by the past scenes of violence that characterized the country’s political arena during their time in government.
“When our opposition, led by the Patriotic Front, talks about political thugs and violence, they are clearly just being haunted by their own past, where by-elections were reminiscent of scenes of utter violence in this country,” the Minister said.
Meanwhile, Mweetwa has expressed confidence that the UPND will win both parliamentary seats in Petauke and Pambashe, given the progress the New Dawn government has made during its tenure.
“In our view as a government, the by-elections tomorrow are expected to reflect the performance of the government in terms of what this administration and President Hakainde Hichilema have been able to achieve in the three years that they have been privileged to lead this country,” he said.
Political campaigns in Petauke and Pambashe are set to officially close at 18:00 hours today ahead of election day tomorrow.
