ZAMBIANS will get a new Constitution before the 2011 general elections through the much-desired Constituent Assembly (CA), chief Government spokesperson Vernon Mwaanga has said.
Mr Mwaanga who is Information and Broadcasting minister said in Lusaka yesterday that it was wishful thinking for Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) chairman William Mweemba to suggest that the K206 billion provided for in this year’s Budget was enough to complete the Constitution exercise within a year.
He explained that the Constitution making process was tedious as it involved a laborious process which involved holding of a census as well as amending the current Constitution to allow the sharing of powers for the CA and Parliament in terms of making laws.
Mr Mwaanga also wondered whether parliamentarians would agree to share power with the CA.
The minister said President Mwanawasa was determined to leave the Zambian people with a new Constitution as his legacy after his final five-year term of office.
“The Government roadmap on the Constitution making process envisages on giving Zambians a new Constitution much earlier than the 2011 elections. Besides, President Mwanawasa would want to leave a legacy of a new Constitution before his final term of office,” Mr Mwaanga said.
He said although President Mwanawasa clearly stated that adopting the new Constitution through a CA was not the best because of the huge costs and the laborious process, Government would go ahead with such a mode because it was the wish of the Zambian people.
“It is therefore sad that we are being told that people want a new Constitution within a few months which is not fair. People should be patient and allow the Constitution process to run and they should agree that huge sums of money which could have been spent on development should be chanelled to this task,” he said.
On complaints by certain quarters of society that the 2006 Electoral Law was inadequate, Mr Mwaanga said such assertions were incorrect.
He explained that certain recommendations made by the Electoral Reform Technical Committee (ERTC) could not be incorporated into the Electoral Law because they would have been in conflict with the Constitution.
Mr Mwaanga also reiterated Government’s commitment to fighting corruption and called for patience among the Zambian people as the graft fight was complex the world over.
“Government is committed and we will remain committed to fighting corruption and that is why we have ratified relevant international protocols to fight this vice. It is not easy to fight corruption and it has remained so the world over but as a Government, we are committed to this fight,” Mr Mwaanga said.

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has more votes than all his opponents put together so far, and a second round may not be needed, his supporters predict. Prime Minister Macky Sall – who is Mr Wade’s campaign manager – said partial results gave the president 57% of the votes counted so far.
No official results have been announced so far, and opposition candidates say any outright win would be fraudulent.
Voter turnout was high and long queues left some polling stations open late.
The first official provisional results are expected later on Monday. A second-round run-off is scheduled for mid-March, if no candidate secures a majority. Mr Sall said partial figures compiled from their polling stations representatives showed that Mr Wade “is well clear of the 50% needed to be elected in the first round”.
But, opposition supporters dismissed these claims as “fantasy”. The election commission warned against predicting results, saying it was unhelpful.
Battle
Mr Wade, who is seeking a second term, has come under pressure in recent months over high rural unemployment.
President Wade, who came from behind to win in the last election, will be well aware of the danger of a second round, says the BBC’s Will Ross in Dakar.
Since that election, which saw a rare transfer of power in Africa by the ballot from one leader to a rival, President Wade has fallen out with several of his allies, some of whom were among the 14 opponents challenging him on the ballot papers.
Two of them were Moustapha Niasse and the youthful Idrissa Seck, who have both served as prime minister in Mr Wade’s administration.
Ousmane Tanor Dieng, who served under the previous president, Abdou Diouf, was also seen as a strong contender.
Senegal, a predominately Muslim nation, is seen as a rare model of stable democracy in Africa. It is the only West African nation not to have experienced a coup since independence, and polls in 2000 passed off peacefully.
Some five million people were eligible to vote, which is almost double the figure in the last election.

ALN members are pleased to welcome a new sister party from Burkina Faso, l’Alliance pour la Democratie et la Federation/Rassemblement Democratique Africain (ADF-RDA). A representative from the party attended the ALN General Assembly meeting in Dakar (3 February 2007) where he gave a brief presentation and answered questions from the ALN members present at the GA. All members then unanimously voted in favour of the ADF-RDA joining the ALN.
ADF-RDA is headed by Maitre Gilbert Noel Ouedraogo who is the current Transport Minister. It is the second political force in Burkina Faso and the first opposition party. It has 17 out of the 111 parliamentary seats and 2 Ministers in Government for both Transport and education.

www.africaliberalnetwork.org
We also would love to hear your views through our discussion forum.
Imen Trabelsi
Africa Network Officer
•    ALN Holds First General Assembly Meeting and Elects ALN President, Dakar, Senegal.
•    Burkina Party ADF- RDA Joins the ALN as Observer Member
•    Mission Accomplished- Tony Leon Announces He Will Relinquish Party Leadership
•    Democracy is More than Elections: The Experience of the Seychelles National Party– by Roger Mancienne, SNP Secretary General
•    Zambia’s Fourth Democratic Elections: A Country of Minority Governments–By Tiens Kahenya, UPND Secretary General
•    The Conflict in Cote d’Ivoire: What’s Next?–By Aly Toure, RDR Member and ALN President
•    ALN Sends Message of Condolences to ANADER for loss of Party Leader
•    ALN 2007 Election Calendar
ALN Holds First General Assembly Meeting and Elects ALN President, Dakar, Senegal.
The ALN held its first General Assembly meeting on Saturday 3rd February 2007, following the workshop on Advocacy and Lobbying at the International level which took place in Dakar, 31st January-2nd February. The meeting provided an opportunity for the members to reach agreement on outstanding issues and to discuss a plan of action for the Network for 2007. The meeting was also an opportunity for the members to elect the first ALN president; Mr. Aly Toure from RDR- Cote d’Ivoire.
Burkina Party ADF- RDA Joins the ALN as Observer Member
ALN members are pleased to welcome a new sister party from Burkina Faso, l’Alliance pour la Democratie et la Federation/Rassemblement Democratique Africain (ADF-RDA). A representative from the party attended the ALN General Assembly meeting in Dakar (3 February 2007) where he gave a brief presentation and answered questions from the ALN members present at the GA. All members then unanimously voted in favour of the ADF-RDA joining the ALN.
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Mission Accomplished- Tony Leon Announces He Will Relinquish Party Leadership
In a statement delivered on Sunday 26 November 2006, DA Leader Tony Leon announced that he will not be seeking nor accepting nomination for the leadership of the Democratic Alliance when the Party Federal Congress convenes in May 2007.The following is an excerpt from his statement.
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Democracy is More than Elections: The Experience of the Seychelles National Party– by Roger Mancienne, SNP Secretary General
2006 has been a watershed year for the Seychelles National Party. In July, it faced a critical presidential election which it lost only narrowly and on October 3, its leaders were beaten up by police at the entrance of the National Assembly building in Victoria. The two events showed that fair and equitable conditions do not come easily in a political system shaped by the one-party mentality. They also changed the party’s outlook and approach to politics. In other words, our experience showed that elections are not enough to say that a country has achieved democracy.
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Zambia’s Fourth Democratic Elections: A Country of Minority Governments–By Tiens Kahenya, UPND Secretary General
IT wouldn’t be wide off the mark to suggest that Abraham Lincoln’s definition of democracy, as a government of the people for the people and by the people, has almost failed in Africa and Zambia in particular. Since Zambia’s return to multi party democracy in 1991, the country has so far held four elections, three of which have been widely disputed by the civil society and political parties as not reflective of the people’s wishes.
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The Conflict in Cote d’Ivoire: What’s Next?–By Aly Toure, RDR Member and ALN President
Once considered a rare example of stability in the region, Côte d’Ivoire descended into conflict in September 2002 after a failed attempt to topple President Laurent Gbagbo grew into a rebellion that divided the country into two parts: the south controlled by the government, and the north, ruled by the insurgents.
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ALN Sends Message of Condolences to ANADER for loss of Party Leader
During their meeting in Dakar (31 January-3 February 2007),  and upon hearing of the death of ANADER leader Mr.Raphael KUMBU-KI-LUTETE, members of the Africa Liberal Network issued the following statement:
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ALN 2007 Election Calendar
Parliamentary and presidentail elections will be taking place in some of the ALN member countries in 2007 as follows:
Senegal                Presidential elections 25 February
Burkina Faso       Parliamentary elections 6 May
Senegal                Parliamentary elections 3 June
Morocco                Parliamentary elections September 2007
Cote d’Ivoire         Presidential elections October 2007
Seychelles           Parliamentary elections November 2007
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Colin Eglin, one of the founders of the Africa Liberal Network, was at the frontline of the making of South African history for the second half of the 20th Century.
In Crossing the Borders of Power, he recalls an active life well lived. From childhood in South Africa to fighting his way through Italy in the second world war. Then to fighting his corner in Parliament – from which perspective he provides searching insights into South African politics and politicians during the most dramatic and traumatic half-century in the history of the country.
Crossing the Borders of Power will be available through www.centralbooks.co.uk from 1 July 2007.

The Africa Liberal Network held a Strategic meeting during the LI Congress which took place in Marrakech 9-11 November 2006. The meeting was coordinated by ALN Officer Imen Trabelsi, Chaired by Pr. Ibrahim Lipumba (Chairman of Tanzania’s Civic United Front ) and attended by representatives of member parties as well as representatives of non-member African parties and other international institutions.
The meeting provided an opportunity for member parties to discuss the future direction of the network, how to make it more effective and responsive to the needs of its members and to put in place a structure that will improve the way it functions.
During the meeting, the proposed ALN Constitution was unanimously adopted after members have had the chance to make their comments and propose amendments. Among the provisions agreed was the creation of an Executive Committee (EC) which will take the lead in coordinating the activities of the Network and setting the agenda for its future work. The EC will be made up of a President who, among other things, will represent the ALN worldwide; five Vice-Presidents representing the five regions of Africa; and a Treasurer.
Another notable provision was to open the network to liberal organisations and individuals.
Member parties also approved the introduction of annual membership fees of US$600 for full memebrs, US$300 for observer members and US$50 for associate members. This was regarded as an expression of their commitment to the ALN and their determination to make it work

Operating democratic elections and campaigns in an oppressive environment is very problematic.  Poor economic conditions, civil conflict, corruption, and political instability can be negative forces working against democratic elections.  However, the power to counteract these negatives lies with independent electoral committees and observer bodies who can regulate the electoral process and promulgate the growth of democratic elections.
The challenges faced in this year’s controversial elections in Zimbabwe, Central African Republic, Togo, Guinea-Bissau, and Ethiopia speak to the difficulty of running unscathed democratic elections while under a state of threat and oppression.  The successful handling of some of these elections (Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau) and the problematic outcome of the others (Zimbabwe, Togo and Ethiopia) is a testimony of the necessity of peaceful, transparent, free and fair elections handled by efficient, and well-staffed and resourced, independent electoral commissions.
Looking at the various elections across Africa reveal that progress towards democracy is being made, even in the context of oppression.  The lowered incidents of voting fraud and election related violence highlight the chief areas of improvement.  Now, the key to realizing the principles of democracy throughout elections and campaigns lies with independent electoral commissions and observer bodies that ensure transparency and accountability can trump the forces of oppression.
Some of our member parties like the Civic United Front (Tanzania), Rassemblement des Républicains (Cote d’Ivoire), Alliance National des Démocrates pour la Reconstruction (DRC) are most probably going to be facing elections this year under particularly difficult circumstances.  There are signs that a strained environment might mark the electoral processes in these countries. Consequently, there is a need for the political and civic actors in these countries and their international partners to ensure that the electoral process is peaceful, inclusive, and democratic.
The best way to guarantee this and foster democracy is to enhance the role of independent electoral commissions in the preparations and organisation of elections.
By Erin Smith and Nelson Muffuh
•    The Quest for Peace in Cote d’Ivoire
•    Towards Elections or Chaos in DRC?
•    Liberalism and Plans for Africa’s Development
The Quest for Peace in Cote d’Ivoire
The main political factions in Cote d’Ivoire agreed on the 29th of June 2005 to kick-start a much-delayed process of disarmament and reaffirmed a commitment to hold presidential elections on 30 October.
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Towards Elections or Chaos in DRC?
La situation politique en RDC reste préoccupante suite à la crise politique provoquée par les partis politiques qui ont refusé de siéger dans les institutions de la transition.
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Liberalism and Plans for Africa’s Development
Recent attempts to address poverty in Africa, such as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad), have taken on the form of partnerships between African nations and the developed world. Similar initiatives have followed, the most recent of which is British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Commission for Africa. Yet for all their good intentions, most of these proposals are still struggling to get off the ground.
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The first meeting of the international representatives of the Africa Liberal Network took place on 12th – 15th June, 2003 in the Sandton Park Plaza Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa. The meeting was well attended, with delegates from almost all member parties: the PDS in Senegal, the RDR in Cote d’Ivoire, CUF in Tanzania, the UC in Morocco, the PSL in Tunisia, the UPND in Zambia, the SNP in the Seychelles, UDF in Malawi, the UDP in Tanzania, the DA in South Africa, MFM in Madagascar, the PLD in Angola and ANADER in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Observers also attended from Liberal International, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, and the National Democratic Institute.
The meeting was a great success. The founding principles of the Africa Liberal Network were set out in the Johannesburg Declaration, which appears on the next page, and a statement of support was issued for the MDC of Zimbabwe, who were unable to attend the event.
Welcome to the second edition of the Africa Liberal Network newsletter. There has been great progress since the time the last newsletter came out, and we should all be proud of the way our network is progressing. The meeting of party international representatives was a great success, and resulted in both a declaration of the founding principles of the ALN (The Johannesburg Declaration) which can be found on page 3, and a statement of support for the MDC of Zimbabwe who were unfortunately unable to attend the meeting due to the worsening situation in their country. This statement is on page 4 of the newsletter.
The next ALN meeting is the meeting of party leaders, which takes place in Dakar Senegal on 22nd October 2003, and is generously hosted by a great liberal leader, President Wade. This event coincides with the Liberal International Congress, which takes place for the first time in Africa. It is therefore fitting that the Africa Liberal Network should be applying for the status of co-operating organisation at this Congress, contributing to Liberal International’s growing strength in Africa.
The network is starting to attract new parties, some of whom will be attending the Dakar leaders’ meeting as guests, where they will be able to meet current member parties and see the network in action!
A series of future activities are planned for the ALN, starting with a training workshop to take place in winter 2003. The topic for this workshop will be decided in consultation with member parties during the meeting in Dakar.
Last but not least, the ALN will soon have its own website. The domain name has been chosen and reserved as www.africaliberals.org, and work has started on preparing the first pages. There will be links to member party websites, the history and principles of the ALN and details of future and past activities, so please keep us informed of what your party is doing, so that this information can be included.
I look forward to seeing you in Dakar, and continuing the good work!

Welcome to the first edition of the Africa Liberal Network (ALN) newsletter.  The Africa Liberal Network is a loose affiliation of liberal democratic African political parties, which was initiated at the Liberal Summer School, held in Mombasa, Kenya, in July 2001.
The purpose of the ALN is to facilitate communication and co-operation between like-minded liberal democratic political parties in Africa.  This will be done through the regular circulation of this newsletter containing news on all member parties and their countries.  The ALN will also be organising meetings and workshops on specific issues of interest to member parties, as well as raising the profile of liberal parties in Africa in the local and international media.
Membership of the ALN is determined by the party’s status in the parent organisation, Liberal International.  The present member parties of the ALN (in alphabetical country order) are:
Members
Full Members
Partido Liberal Democratico (Angola) http://www2.ebonet.net/pld/
Union Democratica Nacional (UDENA) (Equatorial Guinea) (No party website)
United Democratic Front (Malawi) http://www.udfparty.com/
Parti Démocratique Sénégalais (Senegal) http://www.sopionline.com/
Democratic Alliance (South Africa) http://www.da.org.za
Observers
Alliance Nationale des Democrates pour la Reconstruction (ANADER) (DRC) (No party website)
Rassemblement des Republicains (Cote d’Ivoire) http://www.rdrci.org/
Mouvement pour le Progres de Magagascar (MFM) (Madagascar) (No party website)
Mouvement Populaire (Morocco) (No party website)
Union Constitutionelle (Morocco) (No party website)
Seychelles National Party (Seychelles) http://www.seychelles.net/snp/
Civic United Front (Tanzania) http://www.cuftz.org/
United Democratic Party (Tanzania) (No party website)
Parti Social Liberal (Tunisia) (No party website)
Contacts
United Party for National Development (Zambia) http://www.upnd.org/
Movement for Democratic Change (Zimbabwe) http://www.mdczimbabwe.com
Potential New Contacts
The ALN is also open to new parties who fit the criteria.  To find out more about potential new member parties, please see the dedicated section at the end of the newsletter.
This newsletter will be a monthly publication, and will be circulated to all member parties.  If you wish to submit an article concerning your party, country, or an issue of interest to ALN members, please contact Ellen Kelly at the address given in the Feedback section.