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Nigeria gets new electoral law but will it make crooked politicians play by the rules?

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Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday signed the reworked Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2022 after many years of back and forth.


The new law will empower the Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deploy technological solutions for elections in the country.


The Electoral Act 2022 which replaces the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) constitutes the principal law to govern the conduct of future elections, including the 2023 poll.


Meanwhile, there are concerns that the new law will bring little succour to the electoral process as Nigerian politicians are notorious for manipulating the system, including vote buying, thuggery and ballot box snatching.


If there are no attitudinal changes, the country may continue to relieve the experience of incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari who literarily slept in the courts to challenge his election loss in 2011, as presidential candidate of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).


Many political office holders have lost elections during announcement of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) but later got justice from courts.


President Buhari had signed the new law with some reservations.


He had noted that Section 84(12) of the bill states that “No political appointee at any level shall be voting delegate or be voted for at the Convention or Congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election”.


He added, “Section 84 (12) constitutes a disenfranchisement of serving political office holders from voting or being voted for at Conventions or Congresses of any political party, for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election in cases where it holds earlier than 30 days to the National Election.”


Without guarantees to attitudinal change, its doubtful that the much anticipated credible elections will materialize.

Politics

Zambian govt says no plan to remove Christian nation clause from constitution

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Zambian Vice President Mutale Nalumango has maintained that the ruling party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), has adopted an inclusive approach to constitutional amendments.

Nalmango made the reiteration while answering questions before the National Assembly following concerns raised by Bwacha Member of Parliament, Sydney Mushanga, who questioned the government’s alleged intentions to tamper with constitutional provisions without engaging stakeholders.

Vice President Nalumango emphasised that the government’s guiding principles were firmly rooted in Christian values, and clarified that the government had no plans to remove clauses like the Christian nation clause.

She declared, “The government espouses Christian values, and we want to make that clear,” calling for an end to discussions based on false claims. “Christianity serves as the foundation for our values”.

She also confirmed her commitment to consultative decision-making. She stated, “Government has made it clear that it will first amend non-contentious clauses of the constitution in consultation with the stakeholders.”

In response to mounting pressures within the country following years as one- and later two-party states, the Zambian constitution was changed in 1991 to allow the reintroduction of a multiparty system.

Under the terms of the constitution, the president appoints the vice president, the chief justice, and members of the High Court on the advice of the Judicial Services Commission.

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Politics

Uganda begins withdrawal of troops from eastern Congo DR

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Uganda has started the withdrawal of 1,000 troops deployed for a regional peacekeeping mission in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to a statement released by the military, Uganda’s decision not to extend the mandate of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) past December 8 prompted the withdrawal.

At its meetings in Arusha, Tanzania, the CDF affirmed the DRC’s decision and advised the defence ministers of the East African Community (EAC) to formally terminate the EACRF’s operations in the country’s vast eastern region, effective December 8.

UPDF’s contingent spokesperson, Capt. Ahmad Hassan Kato, “UPDF will ensure to expedite the pull-out of its forces and equipment within the approved timelines as enshrined in the extraordinary meeting of EAC CDFS (Chief of Defense Forces) held on December 6.”

“The Uganda contingent urges all armed groups (in the Eastern DRC) to facilitate the withdrawal of the UPDF troops by observing a total ceasefire to allow the forces to exit the mission area safely,” said Kato.

Aside from EAC forces, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as (MONUSCO), has around 12,400 troops in the Congo, with a cost of over $1 billion per year.

Lately, there has been an upsurge in violence in Congo, DR. High rates of civilian casualties and displacement have been caused by hostilities with neighbouring countries, political violence, extrajudicial killings by security forces, and conflicts between militant groups over territory and natural resources.

According to the United Nations, more than 100 armed groups and local militias operate in the eastern DRC.

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