The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) will use biometric data to identify those replacing their lost voter registration cards for the Oct. 30 presidential election.
The ECZ has already established a permanent register, capturing biometric data from voters in the form of fingerprints, said ECZ deputy director of IT Brown Kasaro in an interview.
Fingerprints were collected prior to the 2006 general election, uncovering thousands of duplicate registrations, Kasaro said. Individuals were using multiple National Registrations Cards bearing different names, “either our of ignorance or just out of wanting to cheat,” he added. Despite arguments by opposition political parties in the 2006 elections, Kasaro also revealed that the ECZ will use computers and fax machines to manage results for the upcoming election.
To overcome fears of computer error, the ECZ intends to hold a series of meetings with political parties on the process.
The ECZ hopes to tabulate results at the Mulungushi International Conference Center, Kasaro said, with the Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation airing the proceedings live.
The commission will also use GIS (geographical information system) technology to produce maps in delineating each constituency prior to the election.
However, Zambia Media Women Association coordinator Emelda Yumbe expressed her fears in an interview that computers may be used to manipulate results and rig the election, noting most Zambians are not computer literate.
IDG news service
Ok, will it help prevent VJ riging this time?
atleast zed can make use of IT dats good news
Am Afraid!!!!!!!!!!that is an opportunity for vj and group!!
all the people above and below me are gay fruitcakes
It has become of age now and we need to use it to its full capacity.Imagine even Hon Sata has a website. UPND’s HH, the Incoming Zambian President to-be HH also has one. What about the Vice-Preident Rupiah Banda?
zambians mula concluda. You prefer ECZ stays in the stone age? Wake up. This is actually a step forward why cant u just be happy. You all need prayers on a serious note.
Cont’d #5..Check out: w w w . hakainde .c o m
Cont’d # 7…Also, w w w. michealsata .co .z m.
Cont’d #8 …I wish all the participating presidential candidates in the 2008 all the very best as they sell themselves to the electorate.
natina ine pa zed fikabomba?
#7 thanks for the site.Those who are interested to make a donation to UPND tha account # is 17-1689430 barclays bank long acres branch.You can also contact the campaign manager on 260 977 780 397 or 260211 255 257.#7 job well done,lets continue contacting more people.People in africa opened an account for obama,so they can help their own.Send a message to all the people on your contact list.
Exactly and you are welcome #12. This is our time Zambians, this is our moment. Vote for real ray of cahnge and hope that Zambians can trust and believe in.
HH waboola (HH has come, HH abweela, HH aataha, HH aisa,…)
cont’d #9.May each of the presidential candidates have a good ran in this election and above all please put you health as number one priority.
Brothers and sisters, I have been thinking that we need to mobilise a group of energetic, young people with leaflets with information, in a local language of people for the particular area involved, on how to vote while they receive the free goods from the Vice-President like sugar as shown in th POST Newspaper, but vote wisely for HH when 30th October 2008 comes.This team of young people can be following the Vice-Presidents movements carefully so that whenever he leaves a place where he is dishing out free gifts then the young ones arrive to teach the people on how the MMD failed them over the years but are now seeking a sympathy vote. The people can then be advised to vote HH wisely.
Mwasalila, look at this www thecitizensdemocraticparty com.
there is a high risk of error likely to occur using this IT system. (1) most Zambian people are not computer literate someone has to teach or show them how it works (2) finger prints collected has revealed 1000’s of duplicate registration which might likely be used to manipulate the results. (3) the security of the system needs to be tight
it may sound good but all these issues need to be resolved before they can use it for fair and reliable results. thats free and fair elections.
I hope the IT System has been rigorously tested. My fear is, like many new IT projects/systems, it is when they go live that errors surface. Again, we are not sure if there will be another system running parallel in case the main one fails. Neither do we know if the backup system is powerful enough to restore operations in case of a crash. And most importantly, hopefully this doesnt lead to further corruption and rigging because only a handful of people will access so it is easy to oil these people’s hands!
The only aspect of biometric data Zambia has is finger prints. The data should be also used for solving criminal activities.
This is a great way to go #19 thats a good contribution too. I know other people on this site against this idea of BIOMETRIC DATA are afraid of change.Dont worry sooner or later you have to catch up with reality of change many times people resit change its a normal thing.
As long as the people who will use this computer mentioned then the election will surely be free and fair.What ever means used it all depends on the people doing it.Just that by using the computers it makes it more efficient and reliable.In this case people cant vote twice. the only way unfairness can come about is by pretending someone who didnt come to vote voted.Otherwise this is a good thing.
IT Yapa zambia awe mwandi yakosa kashi
#4 Do you ‘wiwi’ in your blankets?Do you have a dog for a wife or what?!You sound very insane.Stop smoking weed.There is no accomodation at Chainama.
How does the system work(IT)Iam a villager
lets give the ECZ support,at least now they will putting InfoTech in use.
# 23 ule mulozi wakwi sa?..ku Mongu?
Chi #4. Learn to have manners. Schopet
MEDIOCRITY AND ZAMBIANS ARE SIAMESE TWINS.IN SERIOUS COUNTRIES SATA AND RUPIAH CANT EVEN BE CONSIDERED FOR A COUNCILLOR.CHILUBA OPTED TO GET LATE LEVY THAN PICK ON TRASH LIKE SATA TO LEAD ZAMBIA.
hope vj is not computer literate
The introduction of biometric technology is the ‘end of democracy’ as we know it. It is much easier to rig elections using IT than to hide and make those transparent boxes disappear. There are many questions that need answers such as which software and hardware is been used to run this IT system and which company is supplying this IT kit? Has it been tested or is it corrupt free? I’m against the electrnic transfer of information between districts to Mulungushi because information can be intercepted, manipulated wirelessly before it gets to lusaka. With the load shedding that is everywhere in Zambia how sure are people that the system will not crush because of sudden black outs?
Cont’d from #28
What backup systems are in place to ensure that in the event of a black out there will be back up systems to still transmit information electronically? The issue of using finger prints as a form of validation is also not perfect. In the USA and the UK airport sysem for example, they have found that a lot of innocent people suddenly appear on criminal records which then denies them the services that they require such as self service check out systems in the UK. In the USA where electronic voting systems are used, many people where denied the right to vote because either the system falsely recognised them as crminals or they were not registered on the voters register…
ECZ Is not ready to use IT Technology at this time.tlaking from the past blanders with last elactions there IT Depart and skills are not yet ready for the 2008 By Election. My Be 2011, Concerned IT Ex-Part In Zambia.
bloggers some of you have terrible manners am a zambian and am proud to be one but the nosense of some blogers are highly feroneous please have some manner or don’t write rubish here.we need to express issues not insults so that as we cheer our prefered candidates we don’t jeer others but objectively argue your point .
#31 Your post is out of topic, #30 I agree with you that ECZ does not yet have the skills and experience to handle such large scale IT project given the limited time to master such a complex system well. I bet even the guy (ECZ deputy director of IT Brown Kasaro) in the article is not Zambian. This is fraud of the waste kind and it is a shame that most people are focused on the candidates and not the ‘system’ that will be used to decide who wins and loses.
Zambians you are just scared, Angola straight from war they held their legislastive with the mordern IT facilities.
Muyopa chani? Manta thats why mwenze kufunikako kankondo pangono, tulo twachilamo.
Viva kamarada
There will be a public discussion on Thursday 25th September 2008
Time: 17:30 to 19:00 hrs.
Venue: Fairview Hotel, LUSAKA
The topic is “The use of computerized systems for elections management 2008 for free and fair elections”.
Electoral Commission of Zambia will be the main presenter and other discussants include:
a) Director – FODEP
b) Director, Zambia Centre for Inter party Dialogue.
c) Director – Electoral Commission of Zambia
Ref. #34 and spread the word. Find out how ready ECZ is with the new technology being referred to.
I’m of the view that election results should be announced at polling stations after which they may be sent to Mulungushi for aggregation.
IT is good in any form of advancement in technology,even when u use the best technology ever u still have pipo wu are there to manupilate the election results.wat we need is a fair and straight way of handling such issues wat we forget is that the person comin into power will b there 4 a life time whilst u will only enjoy 4 a minute.lets be fair
#34 Is this public discussion meant to convince people that ECZ is ready because it seems the gov’t has already made up their mind so what ever the public says will not make any meaningful difference will it? The discussion seems more like a window dressing event. The issue at hand is too complex to be solved by a few hours of discussion. What was needed was to get international IT experts, programmers and systems analysts to go through the software i.e. the code used to make the software. Details of the company supplying the software and hardware must also be named and tests to be carried out to see if information can be intercepted etc but this takes weeks or even months.
How can u rig with computers pleeeese twapapata.
Just organise yoself and attend the lesson by ecz, then u will be able to follow every thing well. its time of IT now lets do away with old stuff. please
YOU TONGAS ARE REALY JOKING TO THINK YOU WILL EVER RULE US U ARE TO TRIBALISTIC WE HAVE ALL EXPERIENCED YOUR TRIBALISM ESPECIALLY WHEN U ARE IN THE MAJORITY NEVER WILL U EVER SEE PLOT ONE I ONCE VOTED FOR ONE MAZOKA BUT I WILL NEVER NEVER EVER VOTE FOR ONE
People refer to the 2000 presidential elections in Florida,we need apaper trail.
#39, I hope you will not mis-represent my well-looked after username on here. All the best as you blog and take care.
Pa Zed!! you will be shocked Matero Plc will manage to hack into the system and produce duplicate votes in a place where there are no people
#39,talking of IT,definitely there will use the internet and some secure software kits(network) to transfer data from the various districts to mulungushi.And wireless networks are the easiest to hack into Because our team will need to fix and find network loopholes before invaders exploit them and its not easy .Indeed our concerns over the backup system can’t be ignored because when the system reboots,that’s actually the best moment to hack into it,intercept the data and manipulate it.I am talking from experience,#39,i won’t talk further.
#39 It appears you are a complete novice in IT. Zambia as things stand has not put up cable infrastructure to connect computers for the transmission of info. This means, ECZ are likely to use wireless connection. And this, my friend, is easy to hack into. I totally aggree with #44.
zambian will never change same mentality iyabu shushushu,thats why you put up this tuma flag so that you do your tuma shushushu work atase
Seems like game naizanda pa Zed
test
this is nonsense wat about the people in the villages. we have done three elections the same way y change.
Oops! I scanned the top and bottom of the article too fast to realize this was a guest post! Still, great work. I love these ideas and I??ll probably spin them to work on my blog