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Zambia Elections 2023-2024 Details | Zambian Voters Choices

Zambia Elections 2023

The next elections, or whenever they are held, will present the Zambian voters with very important choices.

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And we hope valuable lessons have been learned from the mistakes in the choices made in the 2015 and 2016 elections. And since Edgar Lungu has more or less declared the beginning of the election campaigns for these elections, the time has come for us to start considering the issues which we care about so that we can correctly decide which candidate to support.

This is the time to decide what we are looking for in a candidate.

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Let’s pay attention to every candidate and gather materials about all the candidates. Let’s not rush in dismissing candidates; let’s take our time to evaluate candidates’ stands on issues. Let us take time to learn about the candidates’ leadership abilities and how other people view them. It is very important to know what we are looking for in a candidate. Let’s pay a lot of attention to the positions they take on issues and the leadership qualities and experience they would bring to public office. This is not possible until we have decided the issues we care about and the qualities we want in a leader. And it’s really up to us to decide what problems we want people in government to address.

And when considering leadership qualities, let’s think about the characteristics we want in an effective leader. Do we look for intelligence, honesty, humility, commitment to equity and solidarity, an ability to communicate? Deciding if a candidate will be a good leader is not an easy thing. For instance, how can we know if someone will be honest, open or able to act under pressure if elected to office? We will need to know and understand the candidates’ background and their experience and how well prepared they are for the job.

We need to pay a lot of attention to the candidates’ campaigns.

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After the experiences we have gone through with Edgar, it will be necessary to pay a lot of attention to the information that provides insights into candidates’ personalities and leadership qualities. Let’s listen attentively to what others have to say about the candidates. Their opinions can help to clarify our own views, but we shouldn’t discount our informed judgments. We may be the most careful observer of all!

We should also try to find out where the candidates get the funds to finance their campaigns. Do they use their own money or raise funds from a few wealthy donors, from many small contributors? How might these campaign contributions affect the candidates’ conduct in office?

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At the end, let’s ask ourselves which candidate’s view on the issues you agree with the most. Who is running or ran the fairest campaign? Which candidate demonstrated the most knowledge on the issues? Which candidate has the leadership qualities we are looking for? Let’s come out with a clear choice.

When regular people like us apply for a job, employers will look at our curriculum vitae and see if we have relevant working experience or background to find out if we are even worth to be called for a job interview. Same is true for the people we are voting for. Remember that being a president or leader is also a job. But this time, it is us who will act as employers and we need to find out if the person we are voting for is fit to become president or leader of our nation. Does he have enough experience? What has he done so far? We should be diligent enough to find out the personal background of each candidate. Is he or she honest? We are tired of hearing of vote-buying and all those cheating stories. We need honest leaders.

Is he or she corrupt? Need we say more? This time, we need to spare our beloved country from the humiliation we are facing globally regarding corrupt leaders.

Can he or she be manipulated? No matter how honest a president or leader is, it will all go to waste when he can easily be manipulated and influenced by people close to him. We need a leader who can stand up for his or her own decisions.

 

Does he or she have genuine passion to serve? We need someone who is there to serve – not in words, but in action. Leaders are there to uplift the condition of the people and to do what is best for their fellow countrymen. We need a leader who has been serving even before he or she begun his or her political career.

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