Witnesses tell Chililabombwe petition court the winner gave them K50 each, but polling-day video does not show them

Witnesses in the Chililabombwe parliamentary election petition have told the court that the winner, Resolute Party candidate Kabwe Nsofwa Lupele, bribed them with K50 each to vote for him. The petition was brought by Paul Chanda Kabuswe, the UPND candidate who lost the seat and served as Minister of Mines during President Hichilema's first term. Mr Lupele is the first respondent, and the Electoral Commission of Zambia is the second. The hearing is before Justice Lastone Mwanabo, the Kitwe High Court Judge-in-Charge, who is sitting at the Chingola Magistrate Court. The seventh, eighth and ninth witnesses for Mr Kabuswe took the stand. Cecilia Mwape told the court that Mr Lupele gave her K50, that she and a friend each received the money, and that she was told to vote for the Lamp symbol. She said she voted for Mr Lupele because of the money. Mirriam Ndhlovu, the ninth witness, said she was with Ms Mwape when the money was handed over and that she was also paid to vote. Ms Mwape added that a man called Davies gave money to two other women in the queue on Mr Lupele's instructions, but she offered no proof of that. Under cross-examination, polling-day video shown in court did not show Ms Mwape or her friend. It showed Mr Lupele greeting voters while they waited to be verified. Ms Mwape admitted that she did not report the alleged bribery to ECZ officials or police at the polling station. These are claims made in evidence, and the judge has not ruled on them. ## Why it matters If a judge finds that a winning candidate or his agents committed bribery, Zambian electoral law allows the election to be nullified and a fresh vote ordered. The courts expect such allegations to be proved to a standard higher than in an ordinary civil case, which is why details such as who received the money, who saw it and whether it was reported matter so much. For voters in Chililabombwe, the outcome decides who represents them in Parliament. ## What happens next The trial is continuing