MAYORAL election in the opposition-dominated Lusaka City Council yesterday exposed deeper cracks in the alliance between the Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND) when the two opposition parties contested against each other.

And former PF deputy secretary general Chileshe Mulenga has resigned from the party, citing undemocratic tendencies.

The position of mayor went to the PF's Mulungushi ward councillor Daniel Chisenga who polled 24 votes against fellow party member, Chawama ward two councillor David Mulenga who got 17 votes.
The UPND and PF competed against each other at deputy mayor level with victory going to Kanyama ward 10 councillor Harry Hampende of the UPND. He got who polled 23 votes out of 41 cast.

Mr Hampende beat the PF's Kalingalinga ward 31 councillor Dapson Chansa who got eight votes and the UPND's Lilayi ward four councillor Lazarous Chulabantu who had nine votes.

The PF and the UPND have an agreement not to contest against each other in elections.
But lately, the two political parties have breached their agreement, the latest being both parties fielding candidates in Kaoma and Chadiza ward by-elections.

Speaking soon after his election, Mr Chisenga pledged to work hard in his service to the city.
He urged fellow councillors to forget about their differences and unite in efforts to develop Lusaka.
"For the development of our city, let us bury our differences to realise our vision for the city," Mr Chisenga said.

He thanked his predecessor Robert Chikwelete for having served the city council well.
And Mr Hampende said he is grateful to the PF-UPND pact for having chosen them to stand.

"I am thankful to the pact that they have appointed both of us to stand," he said.
Mr Hampende pledged to work hard as deputy mayor.
Earlier, there was a near fracas as some PF councillors demanded that Zambia Police officers leave the council chamber.

The police had apparently gone there to monitor the situation as there were a lot of PF cadres clad in their party attire outside the chamber.
The cadres allegedly harassed Matero member of Parliament Faustina Sinyangwe and her Chawama counterpart Violet Sampa-Bredt as they entered the chamber, minutes before the elections.
Mrs Sinyangwe said she was determined to vote despite the alleged harassment.

Calm was only restored when the police officers left and monitored the situation from a distant.
Meanwhile, Dr Mulenga has resigned from PF after declining his recent appointment as chairman of the party's research bureau.

This is contained in Dr Mulenga's letter of resignation dated September 4, 2010, which is addressed to Mr Sata.
Dr Mulenga accused Mr Sata's leadership of being dictatorial.
He said he decided to resign because the PF leadership has compromised the constitution to satisfy a few individuals.

Dr Mulenga observed that once the constitution is compromised, dictatorship and misrule are ordained.
He said he was unhappy with the decision by the PF to dissolve duly elected constituency committees in an effort to satisfy greedy political opportunists.

"I regret to inform you that I have declined my appointment as chairman of the research bureau of the Patriotic Front and resigned from the party and Zambian politics all together.

"My resignation is a matter of principle because upholding the constitution of any club, let alone a political party in a country struggling to democratise, is a principle which cannot be compromised. Once the constitution is compromised, dictatorship and misrule are ordained," the letter reads in part.
Dr Mulenga, who joined the PF in 2004, said he sacrificed a lot for the party but got nothing in return.

He said he would continue to advocate and support democracy through other open channels and not the PF.
Dr Mulenga said unlike most people in Zambian politics, he made a number of sacrifices not for personal gain or glory but for the love of the country.
He wished Mr Sata and the party well in future political endeavours.

But PF president Michael Sata has dismissed Dr Mulenga's allegations and described them as baseless.
He said in an interview yesterday that if Dr Mulenga thinks the PF is dictatorial and undemocratic then he practised it and was part of the activities.
"I have documentation to prove who is undemocratic and dictatorial between PF and Dr Mulenga.

"If he alleges that we are a dictatorial party, then he was part of those activities," Mr Sata said.