Demand issue-based campaign—Pacenet

With about seven months to the 2014 Tripartite Elections, Pan African Civic Educators Network (Pacenet) has challenged voters in the country to demand an issue-based campaign from aspiring candidates.

Pacenet executive director Steve Duwa said this last week in Luchenza, Thyolo, during the launch of a one year issue-based civic and voter education project.

The project is being funded by the British Department for International Development (DfID) and it has been channeled through the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

“The rationale for this is that issue-based civic and voter education helps politicians to focus their campaigns on issues rather than personalities or character assassination. It also helps voters make informed choices at the ballot box and helps the electorate to hold elected officials accountable to their campaign promises,” said Duwa.

He added that as part of the project, Pacenet will be going into the villages to provide civic education and again have interface meetings between aspirants and the electorate through public debates.

Speaking during the same function, country director of NDI, Taona Mwanyisa, said: “At the same time, issue-based campaign provides an opportunity for introspection on the part of the candidate inducing them to focus and offer as part of their campaigns.”