ECZ requires an additional K60 million for voter registration

THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) says an additional K60 million is required for the extension of the mobile registration of voters on the Copperbelt, Luapula and Northern provinces.

The budget for the voter registration exercise is about K315 million.

ECZ chairperson Esau Chulu said this in Lusaka on Wednesday during a stakeholders’ meeting to give an update on preparations for the voter registration exercise.

Justice Chulu said the extension of the mobile registration of voters is to ensure that there is no unfairness and disenfranchisement of citizens in the three provinces, which would be so if the exercise was not extended.

“We have set September 14 to November 11 as the dates for the mobile voter registration exercise while voters’ registration at civic centres throughout the country will take place from September 14 to March 2016,” Justice Chulu said.

He said ECZ targets to capture 1.7 million new voters during the mobile voter registration exercise.

“In addition to new registrations, the commission will accord eligible citizens an opportunity to make updates on the register of voters through transfers for those that may have relocated], replacement of lost or damaged voters cards and the removal of the dead voters,” Justice Chulu said.

He said ECZ will in due course avail the public and stakeholders details of the number of registration centres per district and the number of registration teams to be deployed.

“We had planned to end the voters’ registration on November 11, 2015, but when we compared our schedule with that of Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship, we realised that the department would only begin last phase of the issuance of NRCs on the Copperbelt, Luapula and Northern provinces in November, 2015,” he said.