PF wins Mangango

The Patriotic Front (PF) has scooped the Mangongo Parliamentary seat beating their closest rival UPND with 734 votes.

The winning candidate Lyambai Lingweshi polled 3,109 votes with UPND’s Godwin Puta trailing behind with 2,375 votes, followed by the Aliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) Mwene Naluwa with 623 votes.

Other cadidates that were contesting the seat were UNIP’s Janet Chingumbe who was in the fourth position with 375 votes while the former ruling party the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) Charles Mwenzala was in the fifth place with 136 votes and Mukumbuta Kabuyana of Fourth Revolution got the least votes of 31.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Returning Officer in the Mangango by-election, Kingsley Mutayacwalo declared PF’s Lingweshi as the duly elected Member of Parliament for Mangango constituency at 07:00hrs.

Mr Mutayawalo said the total number of votes cast were 8,469 out of 17,157 registered voters while the rejected number of ballot papers were 79.

He thanked all the participating political parties at the totalling centre for maintaining peace as this will contribute to the growth of the electoral democracy in the country.

And newly elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Mangango Constituency Lingweshi Lyambai said his first priority is to look into the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) so that farmers in the area are empowered through the formation of cooperatives.

Mr Lingweshi said he will also lobby the Ministry of Community Development Mother and Child Health to ensure that an ambulance is sent to Mutondo health centre to ease the transport challenges the people face in accessing medical services at the nearest Mangango Mission Hospital.

Meanwhile, PF Mangango Constituency Campaign Manager Obvious Mwaliteta who is also Kafue Constituency Law maker said violence could not have made UPND win the by- election but that PF gave credible developmental messages to the electorates.

Mr Mwaliteta said PF has now three seats out of the 17 constituencies in Western Province.

And efforts to get a comment from UPND campaign manager who is also Lukulu West Member of Parliament Misheck Mutelo failed as he and his members run away from the mocking victory of Chongwe MP and PF Chairperson for elections Silvia Masebo and her campaign team.