Akufuna
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has disclosed that it will not carry out a voter registration exercise for the forthcoming presidential by-election due to limited time.
ECZ Public Relations Manager Chris Akufuna said the commission will only re-register people whose voters’ cards have been destroyed or defaced.
Speaking in a live phone in programme on Hot FM radio in Lusaka today, Mr. Akufuna said the registration period will only run for seven days.
He said the constraint was not the money but the short period in which to run the voter registration exercise which involves many stages.
“Please bear with the commission, the constraint isn’t the money, the constraint is that this is a snap election therefore there is limited time for the commission to carry out the exercise,” he explained.
He said the process was long and requires going through various stages which include the inspection, the verification and the certification of the voters’ register.
He added that it was therefore impossible for the commission to do this in the less than 90 days left before the by-election takes place.
Mr. Akufuna said the commission will use the 2011 voters’ register.
He has since appealed to eligible voters to take care of their voters’ cards in readiness for the by-election.
And Mr. Akufuna has said the printing of ballot papers can be done locally provided the local printers have the capacity to do so.
The commission will advertise tender procedures to source for a local printer and anyone who has the capacity will be considered.
Iwe chi Chris Akufuna, who gives you power to deny eligible voters from voting. From 2011 to now how many people have turned 18 and become eligible voters. These are the stupid people that zambia does not need. You can’t deny people of their right to vote. Allow the exercise to start and do not say you won’t
Wait after that 7 days they will extend & extend & extend.Been thru that before.
Did anyone expect or ask them to? Anyway thanks for telling us what we already knew.
Will organize demos for you from all eligible voters that you want to deny their right to come to your house just wait and see.
democracy for the few
That is nonsense.
PF already planning to RIG the elections….
Don’t say you were not warned!
Zambia’s voter register only has about 2 million voters. Out of these probably only about 1 million will vote in this election because some have moved, others have lost their cards, others have died and so forth. It would really suck for ECZ to allow only 1 million voters to vote for a president in this election. Chances are that the winner of this election will win by less than 800,000 votes . That will be about 16% of the population. Is this what we want?
ECZ must do the right thing and allow everyone who is over 18 to acquire an NRC and simultaneously register them as voters. If there is ever anything that Zambians should get pissed at or riot or demonstrate this is it. Unfortunately, our citizens will demonstrate on who stands at the podium for independence celebrations. Rise up…
In a country with a population of more than 15 million people, registered voters should at least be about 7 million people. It is a serious joke that only about 2 million are registered voters.
I actually suggest that voting be compulsory unless for religious or health reasons. We need to devise a system where all grown ups are supposed to register and receive a coupon/document of some sort. Those who do not vote on election day would then be summoned to court, sentenced for community service in Chibolya or clean up the mess around Kolima Tower or fined $20. Imagine how much money we can collect.
If you want to start complaining about rigging, there it is. They already know who, among those who registered to vote in 2011 is dead or moved. All these will be the ghost voters over and above the ghost voters who were already there in 2011. This is trash.
Why, with the benefits of modern technology, would a country of a population as small as Zambia’s, fail to register voters within a 30 day period?
The vote in the forth coming by-election has already gone to the highest bidder!
Everything else is just going to be formality.
This is nonsense. The ECZ. knows the provisions of the constitution. so for every scenario, thet are supppose to be ready. Alot of us want to. vote, but we are being marginalised. How can the elections be free and fair if the majority are unable to vote. this is bull.
Mr. Akufuna, thanks for what you intended to inform us. Is that what the LAW [ constitution] says?