The ruling Patriotic Front has appealed to political players to allow the Electoral Commission of Zambia to independently pick a firm to print ballot papers for the August elections.
In an interview, Mrs Phiri said politicians should desist from putting undue influence on autonomous institutions such as the ECZ.
She said the controversial over the awarding of the tender to print ballot papers is unnecessary.
Mrs Phiri said the ECZ is a credible institution which should be allowed to execute its own mandate independently.
She said the PF is comfortable with the manner in which the Commission has been undertaking its work.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission of Zambia -ECZ- has set Monday, May 16, 2016, as the commencement of campaigns for the August 11 general elections.
ECZ has also set Monday, May 30 to Friday, June 3 2016 as nomination dates for the Presidential candidates.
On the same Monday, May 30, the ECZ will also receive nominations for the Mayoral and Council Chairpersons.
The ECZ has further set Tuesday, May 31, as date for receiving nomination papers for Parliamentary and Local Government elections.
ECZ Public Relations Manager, Cris Akufuna has confirmed this in a statement.
Mr Akufuna has also appealed to political party aspirants to observe and comply with the time-table and NOT engage in campaigns before the stated dates.
Comment: Kumeso kube ku matako.
All because money has already exchanged hands?
She is right
Thanks
Bb2204
Is it of their choice or Zambian stakeholders’ choice? Mumbi thinks ECZ exists for itself. It exists to do what stakeholders who are the Zambians want.
It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything. Joseph
Mumbi’s statement in itself is undue influence.
Nobody is not allowing ECZ to pick a printing company of their but it has to be a mutual and collective choice that is acceptable by all players not one. The decision has to be fair and free of suspicion. What makes it more suspicious is people like you talking on behalf of ECZ as though you want them to go ahead with the Dubai company and the adamant Isaccs not to listen to other stakeholder.
But you guys you suspect just about every thing!
The purpose of an election is not to name the winner, it is to convince the losers that they lost. The winner rarely contests an election, the winner has little reason to investigate discrepancies. It is the looser that will always do this. “UIowa”
They have already lost that’s why they’re crying like babies. Don’t vote for a Tonga akaso and discrimination. Those people moving to Upnd are broke looking for money. Upnd belongs to the southern province.
dont express your hatred anyhow, zambians have eyes to see, loadshedding, high mealie meal prices, high fuel prices,high electricity tarrifs,expensive school fees, high debt contraction,nepotism in appointments……………………..I am a winning vote for HH
@ john suckPFmboka
Upnd may or may not “belongs to the southern province”, but one thing is certain, you belong to lunatic asylum.
It doesn’t matter how you feel about my comments the truth will always stand. Tongas are stingy, they don’t regard tribes expect lozis and it’s the fact that the party is for southerners. I don’t care what you call me, you guys are losers. Come this election you’ll lose like before. Discrimination is the order of the day with the Tongas. Papers will be printed in Dubai and that’s final. Stop crying like babies and accept the reality.
yes we have lost because the ballot papers have already been rigged. It makes us more suspicious as to WHY you PF insist on them the highest bidders to print those ballot papers.
Waste of space! No wonder your parents regret having you.
I think you are mentally sick. Human beings do not think like that.
And since when did this kaponya woman become an ECZ employee? I think ECZ has their own spokesperson and chairperson. Just tell your incompetent boss to start packing his bags and get ready to be going to court everyday to explain all the funny things that have been going on at state house under his watch
This bitch thinks she owns Zambia. Why do you insist on the dubai firm, what interest do you have in this company. Mumbi,lungu,kabwili,frank don’t play with fire. When the fire starts is difficult to Quench it. So please let ECZ give another company.
Nothing sensiable comes from this har.lot just as her boss who is the 2016 most incompetent and *****ic award winner of the millenium Edgar Chakolwa Kaloba Wrungu.
These elections are a do or die for hh knowing that if loses no one will allow him to continue as campaign in Upnd.
They are do or die for Zambians. People don’t understand that HH will be okay even if he loses but Zambia will not be okay. Things become worse than they are now. I don’t about you but I love my country and want the best for it. Let alone, the best for my people. I don’t like seeing majority of my hard working people suffering, being slaves in their own country where 90% of the major sectors/structures are owned by foreigners.
Why is you Mumbi and your party thinking differently from all others on the printing of ballot boxes. And why are you strangely siding with ECZ. If anything, you should have been the first to tell ECZ to say let’s respect all other stakeholders views. Remember elections have stakeholders – common sense, not so?
Only one party is in government, others have no obligation to defend government institutions! Am sure that answers your question!
Political party for the fools,followed fools and being lead by a fool who happens to be the most incompetent and *****i.c president of the millenium.
Only pipo with selfish motives will want to change this govt. What change can mpombo a saved prisoner bring to this country? What change can Bob sichinga and GBM bring to this country. Well meaning Zambians who shall stop stealing if we allowed HH to go to state house? At least Zuma is humble but our thief
Why are you still in the US if like what is going in Zambia?? If Lungu was in the US he would have been impeached by now for lack of confidence. I think we should have an performance evelauation for the president. Whoever does not perform should be replaced by an elected MP and if doesn’t perform another one until we get a hard working president. Not this incompetent one we have today.Please relocate to Zambia and you will see why people want change. Maybe you enjoy see others in poverty because I don’t. If it was possible I would have loved to see 7 million of the 14 million Zambians living a better life than all the southern African countries.
In the USA,Lungu would not have even gone past the party primaries due to that scandal with his client and suspension from LAZ.Only in Zambia and other corrupt nations that a fraud can become president.
If it was in the US hakaivotela Heka hh could not have being allowed to continue standing after losing the first election. Because he’s stingy that’s why he keeps standing against his party regulations. If it was the US hh could not have being allowed to stand because of the way he sold the mines to enrich himself. For sure what can Npombo, mamba, or sichinga bring to table apart from stealing? Do whatever you wish your party will not win this elections. Stop crying like babies and accept the reality.
@ chansa Mabisi
What the f*ck you know about USA? Have you heard of Nixon? Just shut-up you ignorant 1mbecile
Look at her mouth icilemoneka fye iciliule or she was doing blow job on chakolwa
Well spotted. I can’t fault your observation.
PF political party for the fools followed by fools and being lead by a complete fool who happens to be the 2016 award winner for the most incompetent and *****.c president of the millennium.
During Privatisation the best bidder was offered, so they claim and claimed then so why cant ECZ do the same. The lowest price is not always the best bidder in case it is ridiculously low. In this era of PVT why the worry. By the way each of the two big parties have their own regions and supporters so let both appeal to theirs to vote for them based on their manifestoes and not coercing and insults.
@ Gk
Can you please reed your comment?
1mbecile, if the number of ballot papers cannot be established, you can vote day and night for candidate “A” and candidate “B” will be declared winner.
Iwe Kolwe icongo!
#Catholic iwe bukal.a bwano.ko have a conscious and change that name waba bano.ko icintu chabo mukwapa iwe matole yobe Stan upon you owe bumustanyo.ko idio.
:#Catholic iwe bukal.a bwano.ko have a conscious and change that name waba bano.ko icintu chabo mukwapa iwe matole yobe Stan upon you owe bumustanyo.ko idio.
UPND didnt trust these companies last year. Thats why they were stopping trucks carrying election materials.Where is UPND faith in south African companies coming from? We also demand that ballot papers will not be printed in south Africa because we were told by UPND that they are untrustworthy
Mumbi says PF is comfortable with ECZ selecting the Al Ghurair Dubai Printer to print extra and pre-marked ballot papers to rig the 2016 elections in favour of ECL and PF. Mumbi wants other political parties to condone ECZ/PF Rigging Plan. This woman is a joke and scandalous. The Dubai Printer is charging $3.6 m while Ren Form of South Africa is charging $1.7m for the same job. Why is ECZ/PF keen to pay double as much to cover bribes and rigging? Mumbi is crying becoz she knows ECL and PF cannot win these elections without rigging. Mumbi should know that ECZ is owned and funded by tax payers and therefore accountable to the people of Zambia thru their political parties. All political parties are stakeholders while the people of Zambia are stockholders. ECZ will not be allowed to rig these…
Someone should shoot this bitch, she has rabies!
Why not impeaching HH who has failed to respect party constitution and accommodated people he accused to have ruined the economy? If Lungu left PF and rejoin UPND he will be appointed as second president. Who doesn’t have direction between the two. LOST BEFORE VOTING
I THINK YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT HERE. (1) THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HH OR UPND’S INTERNAL GOVERNANCE – RAINBOW PARTY IS SAYING THE SAME, FDD IS SAYING THE SAME THING. (2) THIS ELECTION IS NOT ABOUT HH ITS ABOUT ZAMBIA – THE ONLY GOAL NOW IS TO REMOVE THE INCOMPETENT LUNGU AND IF EDITH ENDS UP WINNING I COULD CARELESS AS LONG AS WE DO NOT HAVE AN INCOMPETENT PERSON LIKE LUNGU AGAIN. WHY DOESN’T RB RUN ON THE PF TICKET HE IS MORE COMPETENT THAN LUNGU??
You 5tupid b1tch, how can you “impeach” leader of the party which is not in the government?
like day dreaming looking at the mouth and teeth. these are the pipo who were saying that pf members will go with their own pens when voting in 2011 because they didn’t trust ECZ. what’s wrong for UPND not to trust ECZ? monkey T/Bon eaters are just like that. you can’t compare them to cattle T/BON eaters. they are too jealous and criminal minded creatures. if ECZ and pf rig these elections and pf wins, then Zambia will be divided more than ever before.
A UPND WHY FALLING IN LOVE WITH A COMPANY WHICH YOU CONDEMNED LAST YEAR? THE COMPANY YOU ARE CRYING FOR IS THAT COMPANY WHICH RIGGED LAST YEAR’S ELECTIONS. THE PROBLEM WITH HH IS THAT HE WOULD CONDEMN SOMEONE EG GBM TOMORROW THAT PERSON WILL BE A DARLING. CAN YOU TRUST SUCH A PERSON?
@ assage
Instead, according to your 1mbecility, we should trust somebody who has been CONVICTED by the High Court of Zambia for embezzlement (translated for 1mbeciles like you, embezzlement = breach of trust)
Upnd r just desperate. 2015 they were impounding trucks from south Africa fo rigging suspicion. Now the south African printer has bribed them, they want it to rig fo them. Panse!
So UPND, who are the next defaecators to your party?
You
ECL and Menstruating through mouth Phiri?
Your wife and kids, washalaweka daddy.
Hakayobe@ its better to have a divided Zambia than having HH who sold our companies as our president. Lungu is winning in fact by far.Do not be fooled by those finished dry woods joining your tribal party. Zambians are voting Lungu basing on what he has done. We are also voting HH because of what he did during privatization
Wise@ Talk about a party that has held convention. Not those parties that fear elections like yours. We are going to Dubai
Wow, 5tupid b1tch is going to Dubai!!!
You mean you are going. You can have your own elections in your house with Lungu been a candidate. Let him incompetently run your home. Not Zambia.
no we are not.
Iwe Kolwe icongo!
@3.1 Strategist, that list of complaints by UPND are the things that have decampaigned and lost the UPND the elections before 11 August even comes, you could also add low copper prices. UPND proposed solutions are simply hogwash to any right thinking person. The problem with UPND is that they are reacting to every issue in the country by proposing easy sweet sounding solutions, sorry Zambians know tha there are no e say solutions, they trust the current captain of the Zambian ship, Edgar Lungu. Humble, pragmatic and connects with the people.
Starving jobless Zambians are finding out the painful way that they can not eat “humble, pragmatic”
Biiitcht!
WHAT MUMBI MUST REALISE IS THAT ECZ IS NOT A PF WING. THE PRINTING OF THOSE BALLOT PAPERS IS PAID FOR BY OUR TAX MONEY. IT MAKES US MORE SUSPICIOUS AS TO WHY EVERY VUVUZELA IN PF IS SO ADAMANT ABOUT PRINTING IN DUBAI AT SUCH A HIGH COST AND YET YOU MUMBI AND YOUR COMPATRIOTS HAVE RUN THE COUNTRY DRY.
We are still waiting for reasons why ECZ had selected the discredited Dubai Printer in spite of its bid price being double than the South African firm which has printed our ballot papers for 3 years. It has been alleged that the Dubai Printer printed extra and pre-marked ballot papers for the disputed Ugandan elections. ECZ needs to justify their choice of a printer. All Zambians and their political parties are stakeholders in the electoral processes and therefore ECZ must get a buy-in in selecting a Printer. Why is the PF the only political party in favour of using the Dubai Printer? It is becoz PF has vested interests in using this particular Dubai Printer. Well we don’t want our elections rigged so lets all agree on a neutral and reputable printer so that our elections will be…
Discredited by who?
bed wetting is a problem..no thinking before you talk..small legs..lol
Well meaning Zambians (they are majority) want and will get a clean, professional govt after August. Those who voted for a convicted criminal who is now on the rampage looting the little money that’s left must repent and vote for progress. Something is seriously wrong when supposedly ‘normal’ people want to re-elect an untrustworthy person, a thief and alcoholic who has cluelessly dragged our rich nation into a mess. Please wake up!
Guys be you PF like myself or UPND like commentator let’s desist from tribal talk. One Zambia One Nation! Some of you guys that are condemning tribes might have wives or husbands of those tribes and your children are halfcastes so if you love your kids why insult half of their heritage?
I can disgree and often do with ones political choice but tribe is a no-go area, we are all one…
“there are wise men and fools in all tribes and races, religions and vocations” Unknown African
2016 ECL nafuti
Old long time ago they used to put on ?ong clothing for respect, all what am asking you from you country men is to give respect to everyone please. GOD bless Zambia and God bless you all.
This Mumbi Phiri is amazing! She is appealing for support from other political parties to ensure that ECZ rigs the elections in favour of ECZ and PF. This is very strange thinking indeed. It is normal for a ruling party and govt to implore ECZ to deliver clean elections but not to rig them. Why should other political parties agree to ECZ’s choice of printer when they know that ECZ has connived with PF to rig this year’s elections infavour of ECL and PF? This appeal is virivolous and illogical. PF should urge ECZ to deliver elections to Zambia that are rigging free for the sake of peace In Zambia. Disputed elections will destabilise Zambia and we don’t want that!
The only good thing is the next president will be voted into power by the majority of voters whether in 1st round or 2nd round. All these insults will end after elections.
Wasted sperm
Why must this loose woman say, PF has agreed with ECZ for ballot papers to be printed in Dubai! The cost of this exercise is from tax payers money and NOT PF! It does not make sense to insist on going for the highest bidder when our country is wallowing in poverty! The question is why is PF supporting this wastage of meager resources!
Zambians want a statement from ECZ as to why the dubai printer is being forced upon them from among other bidders. Simple.
Is such information a state secerate???.
People should realise that rigging is key to ECL and PF’s plans to retain power at all costs. To ensure that PF’s rigging plan stays on course they already presented a draft bill to Parliament to amend the ECZ Act. The proposed amendments to the ECZ Act will give ECZ and Staff immunity from prosecution in the event that they are sued for electoral malpractices. If this Bill is passed into law it means that ECZ staff will have been given a licence to connive with PF and to rig these elections without fear of being prosecuted. The likes of Mulenga Isaac will rig these elections infavour of ECL and PF with impunity. Cry my beloved Zambia!
Surely how can one see sense in printing mere ballot papers at whooping US $3million ….something that will be counted manually by hand.
Only a ***** would trust an Arab!!
Hatred pipo indeed. Imagine in this hatred condition for another 5 years. Politics is not a children’s play ground. Lungu has a straight 68% win. you can share 32%
If you are playing with us we can change and print in ….,……
Useless appeal falling on death ears. The president has been campaigning the past two months launching small projects all over the place. Meanwhile the opposition can’t do the same because we are an African country carrying the curse and its animal farm policies.
Their is no way the ECZ can be a credible institution with Priscilla Isaacs at its helm. The woman is very dirt in every sense of the the word. Forgive this Namakwenkwe, she doesn’t know what she is talking about.
There is no way the ECZ can be a credible institution with Priscilla Isaacs at its helm. The woman is very dirt in every sense of the the word. Forgive this Namakwenkwe, she doesn’t know what she is talking about.
Mumbi’s statement in itself is undue influence.
Surely ECZ has a spokesman who should make a statement on this issue. Why is Mumbi Phiri making an appeal to other political parties to allow ECZ to select a printer of choice on its own? If ECZ has compelling reasons to ask political parties to agree to their choice of printer then ECZ should make that appeal directly to all political parties. How can a political party accused of conniving with ECZ to rig these elections ask other political parties to allow ECZ to hire the allegedly rigging printer? Mumbi Phiri is asking the victims of the rigging to allow ECZ to hire the rigging printer. This does not make sense at all. PF should leave ECZ to put its house in order and in consultation with all political parties.
Since when did Mumbi become a spokes person for ECZ and why is PF still commenting on ECZ.There is something fishy here Mumbi.Away with Dubai company.
Very Fishy Dubai printers indeed
@25.1 Spaka like llilo, I am still waiting for your answer to the question I posed to you sometime back: tell me how Edgar Lungu caused the load shedding. If you answer that simple question honestly I may agree to defaecate to UPND.
Instead, why not defaecate to the mouth of the b1tch which give you useless life?
And how Edgar Lungu caused the low copper prices.
Genuine Zambians are not simply looking at the prices of mealie meal, they are far more intelligent than UPND thinks of them. They are looking at whether what UPND says about Edgar Lungu is true, they are asking whether Edgar caused the copper price to be low, and whether Edgar caused the load shedding. Now that they have the right answers to these questions, they understand why prices of mealie meal are high, and why there is load shedding. Most importantly, come August 11 they will teach a good lesson to those who insult their intelligence.
The weakness of UPND is the know it all attitude, you see it from bloggers who are clearly ignorant in what they write. In comparison with some bloggers, mumbi phiri is far more intelligent than all the ignorant bloggers combined.
The ECZ directorate stands on firm ground with the law on their side. Even if this matter were to go to court, those opposing ECZ decisions stand no chance. Too much bickering pa Zambia.