Chipata District Electoral Officer Davies Musenge has dismissed fears by some stakeholders that the newly introduced transmission of election results in the Kasenengwa Parliamentary by-election may jeopardize the election.
Mr. Musenge however explained that the Electoral Commission of Zambia will still maintain the old system of counting ballot papers and verification by all stakeholders such as observers, monitors and polling agents.
He was speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Chipata this morning. He clarified that the pilot electronic transmission of election results will not be the basis for determining the results saying the ECZ just wanted to determine its accuracy.
He stated that electoral transmission of the results will run side by side with the old manual counting of the ballot papers.
Mr Musenge noted that after verification the results will be transmitted electronically to the totalling centre awaiting actual ballots papers from polling centres.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) yesterday adopted a pilot electronic system to transmit the Kasenengwa and Vubwi by elections results in the Eastern province.
MMD President Nevers Mumba expressed fears that the system was been introduced at last the minute.
Dr. Mumba is reported in some sections of the media having rejected the decision by ECZ to use a pilot electronic system to transmit the Kasenengwa and Vubwi by elections results in the Eastern province.
Meanwhile, all is set for the Kasenengwa by election slated for Thursday 11th September 2014.
A check at the civic centre by ZANIS in Chipata today found election officers and political
parties doing verifications of election materials in readiness for the polls.
Returning officer Noel Sichalwe said the election materials and elections personnel will be dispatched tomorrow.
The Kasenengwa seat fall vacant after the Supreme Court nullified the election of MMD’s Victoria Kalima.
Four candidates are participating in the by -election and these are Gideon Zulu of the ruling PF, Timothy Nyirenda of the UPND and Khumbiza Daka of UNIP while Victoria Kalima is re-contesting the seat on the MMD ticket.
I am not worried about the electronic system as long all the party representatives verify the results being sent out by signing on the final document having the results before they are transmitted.
UNIP candidates must surely be leaving in la-la land….honestly does anyone expect to win standing the UNIP ticket