The Movement for Multi-party Democracy, MMD in Eastern Province has not registered 100 supporters for their Presidential candidate.
Chipata District Electoral Officer, Davies Musenge told Breeze News that all the nine political parties managed to register 100 supporters for their Presidential candidates apart from MMD.
Mr. Musenge says registration of 100 supporters for all political party Presidential candidates is a requirement by law to allow their candidates file in their nomination papers.
He says that he will wait for an instruction from the ECZ head office in Lusaka on the way forward for MMD, since nominations starts on Monday next week.
Mr. Musenge mentioned political parties that successfully registered their 100 supporters as FDD, the Forum for Democracy and Development, Green Party and the Patriotic Front Party.
Others are the People’s Alliance for Change, United Progressive Party, Rainbow Party, UPND, the United Party for National Development, UNIP, the United National Independence Party and NAREP, the National Restoration Party.
But when contacted for a comment, MMD Provincial Publicity Secretary, Zefenia Kaleya says the party did not register the 100 supporters because its President, Felix Mutati will not participate in the August 11th general elections.
Mr. Kaleya says this is because Mr. Mutati delayed to pay the 75 thousand Kwacha to ECZ, the Electoral Commission of Zambia because he was waiting for the party to hold a convention where he went unopposed.
Mr. Kaleya however says the MMD will file in its candidates in all the parliamentary and local government seats in the province.
Meanwhile former MMD Provincial Chairperson Kennedy Zulu has welcomed the decision by the Registrar of Societies to recognize Felix Mutati has new president for MMD.
Mr. Zulu has also commended the decision by the MMD to renounce the political alliance which former MMD president, Dr Nevers Mumba had signed with UPND.
Speaking to Breeze News, Mr. Zulu stated that the MMD constitution is clear that the party will hold a national convention after every five years to choose new office bearers.
He says that he could not understand why Dr. Mumba was clinging on to power adding that it is commendable that the new leadership has decided to support PF.
And Mr. Zulu says he has no hard feelings over the PF’s decision not to adopt him to contest the Vubwi parliamentary seat adding that he will remain loyal to the party.