UPND spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa says political violence will never end in the country as long as a sitting President does not act on the vice.

And Mweetwa says UPND president Hakainde Hichilema is enjoying good health and directing ground campaign operations ahead of the August 11 elections.

Speaking at a media briefing, Tuesday, Mweetwa said carderism was overriding government authority under the PF leadership.

He added that the UPND had pledged to end carderism once it forms government.

“This issue of electoral or political violence will not go away for as long as the President of the Republic of Zambia, no matter who he is at a given time, does not take centre stage to utilise that privileged position as Commander-In-Chief of defence and security forces to ensure rule of law. Where there is rule of law, it entails supremacy of the law and equality of all citizens under the law,” Mweetwa said.

“Once that happens, you will find the idea of carderism and impunity will come to an end. We have witnessed this under the Patriotic Front, carderism overriding government authority. HH has pledged, UPND pledged to end this carderism. To you our dear colleagues who are supporting the UPND, a UPND government will not tolerate the behaviour of cadres that is reminiscent of what we are seeing under the patriotic government.”

He further said Hichilema was in good health and was directing the ground operations of the party in readiness for the August elections.

“Our president Mr Hakainde Hichilema is in ‘top’ health. He is doing very fine and is directing the ground operations of the party towards a successful assault on the elections of August 2021. So he is safe,” Mweetwa said.

He noted that UPND had not yet chosen any candidate across the country.

Mweetwa cautioned the members who had won at a particular stage of the party organ against misinforming their supporters or the community that they were the adopted candidates.

“I wish to appeal to provincial chairpersons across the 10 provinces to inform the party structures and indeed the candidates so that these candidates cannot misinform themselves and consequently their supporters so that the grass-root is misinformed as to who a particular candidate is. The Party has not yet chosen any candidate across the country. Let no one who has won at a particular stage of the party organ begin to misinform their supporters or indeed the community that they are the candidates. The party has not yet chosen candidates. We hope this will be clear to all candidates so that their supporters know how the party operates insofar as choosing candidates is done,” he said.

Mweetwa added that the party was happy with the peace that had characterised the party’s primary elections so far.

“This far, the party is elated, it’s very happy with the peace that has generally characterised the primary elections from ward to province. Yes there have been one or two reported cases of petition I must state at various levels by a few candidates across the country. I want to say those petitions that have been handed have been received by the party and the petitioners are urged to be patient and wait for the processes to be completed,” said Mweetwa.