The Electoral Commission of Zambia has admitted that some of the ballot papers in polling stations do not have the official ECZ stamp.
ECZ Chief Electoral Officer Priscilla Isaac told a media briefing at the results centre at Mulungushi International Conference Centre that the issue of unstamped ballot papers is real.
Ms. Isaacs said the Commission will take it up with the supplier of the ballot papers, Dubai firm Al Ghurair Printing Limited.
She said the Commission has now communicated to all elections officials to use ink pads and markers and write the word official at the back of the ballot papers to validate the papers and minimise the number of rejected ballots.
“Ink that goes with official stamps is not up to standard. It is faint. We will take it up with the supplier and also provide alternative ink pads where possible,” Ms Isaac said.
She added, “The Commission wishes to bring to the attention of the public that it is aware of the fading or invisible official marks. The poll staff have been advised to write official at the back of each ballot paper. The Commission will also provide ink-pads to be used in nearby polling stations.”
And Mrs Isaac says the Commission is disappointed that some unruly voters have ignored the order from the Commission to post their marked ballot papers on social media.
She said the use of cellphones inside polling station is a breach of the Electoral Regulations and that anyone found doing so will be prosecuted.
started posting their marked ballot papers on social media after leaving the polling stations.
“The Commission has observed with dismay photos of marked ballot papers in Polling booths being posted on various online and social media platforms. The Commission would like to caution members of the public to desist from such actions that would compromise the secrecy of the ballot,” she said.
“I would to appeal to all Polling staff and Security Officers in the Polling Stations to stop voters from using mobile phones in the Polling Stations as this is contrary to the Electoral Regulations. The Commission would like to appeal to members of the public that the information circulating on social media that there will be different days of voting for various Political parties is completely false and should be ignored.”
She also dispelled reports that the election calendar has been truncated with the UPND and FDD voting today whilst the PF supporters will vote tomorrow to avoid violent clashes.
Ms Isaac said there is no such ruling from the Constitutional Court adding that the reports are merely falsehoods.
And Meanwhile, Police have revealed that reports indicating that PF Serenje Parliamentary candidate Philip Kosamu has been arrested for alleged vote burying are false.
Police Spokesman Rae Hamoonga said there has been no candidate who has been arrested today.
“The Zambia Police Service would like to dispel rumours going round that Serenje Central Patriotic Front aspiring candidate Phillip Kosamu has been arrested by police for vote buying,” Mr Hamoonga said.
And Ms. Isaac said over 85% of Poll staff and election materials were successfully distributed to the various Polling Stations throughout the country by 24.00hrs.
She said most of Polling Stations had opened on time today.
“The following Polling Stations were expected to open late due to terrain challenges which delayed the transportation of materials in Nalolo district’s Silowana Ward, Yamakumba and Shekela Wards including in Sioma district’s Liandamo Ward and Mbume Ward,” she said.
She said these polling stations were expected to open at 10:30hrs adding that these polling stations which opened late will be compensated for the lost time.
And the Commission has disclosed that voting in Kanyala and Mpungu Ward in Isoka Constituency and Miengwe Ward in Kafulafuta Constituency including Mumbwe Ward in Chipili has been postponed after candidate’s details were transposed between the two wards.
Voting has also been postponed in Keembe Ward in Keembe Constituency after portraits of candidates were transposed on the ballot paper.
Ms Isaac said the Commission communicate a future date for holding these elections.
Ms. Isaac said the Commission is happy that there is a good turnout at the various Polling Stations and that the voting environment is calm and peaceful.
“I would therefore like to encourage those who have not yet voted to go and cast their votes before 18.00hrs when Polling closes” she said.
There was a perfectly good ballot paper printer in SA but you went to some dodgy printer in Dubai who was charging almost double what the South Africans were charging…now look!!!
Zambia printers could have done a better job. They can’t postponed voting in nearby places like Keembe. Waiting for Dubai crooks to print wrong ballots again.
Those they sent as observers need payback allowances.
That’s right Nostradamus. The whole thing could have been a showcase of Zambian capabilities by keeping it Zambian.
Let them resign, you did a bad Job because you think foreign is always better. leave those positions for others. its a shame that such can be happening considering the sensitivity of this election.
Issacs you are playing with fire.
Priscilla YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR BIG HEADED BEAK SHUT!!
YOU ALONE WERE BLOODY ADAMANT ABOUT PRINTING IN BLOODY ABU DHABI – YOU KNEW THEY WOULD DO THAT – IT IS ALL F.C.U.KING CALCULATED THAT YOU WOULD ANNOUNCE SUCH SHI.TE ON POLLING DAY & THINK THAT WE WOULD BELIEVE THE SHi.ttE YOU ARE SPEWING!!!!!!
HAVE YOUR FANTASTIC BLOODY PRINTERS EVER HEARD OF F>C>UKI>NG QUALITY CONTROL????????
DID YOU BLOODY DO YOUR F…ING HOMEWORK TO MAKE SURE THEY HAD CARRIED OUT THE WORK AS ORDERED??????????
YOU BETTER BE GETTING AN F…ING REFUND ON OUR MONEY THAT YOU SPENT!!!!!!
YOUR BLOODY HEAD SHOULD BE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK!!!
SO YOU HAVE NOW OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED YOUR F…ING RIGGING PLAN!!!
YOU BETTER GET ON A PLANE BEFORE THE LAST VOTE IS COUNTED!!!
#CHAGWAMUSTFALL!!!…
…..#CHAGWAMUSTFALL!!! #PamaFIKUYABEBELE!!!
PRISCILLA ISAACS mu soweni!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I THANK YOU!!!
Wenyo Isaacs you were told but you chose to be adamant we will roast your backside on a cheap braai while alive if we have any crisis over ballots.
Great observation. Allow me to say ECL will probaby go down as Zambian’s most doofus president! Never seen a schmuck like him before. Those who voted for him deserve him
We opted to print ballots at high cost (double) with the Dubai company. Now ballots are of questionable quality and may result in high numbers of rejected ballots. We never had these issues with the RSA co., so what was the rational of awarding contract to Dubai co if not corruption and /or rigging?
Isaacs and Chulu should apologise to Zambians for their incompetence. You can buy ink in the Lusaka CBD. It does not have to come from Dubai. The electoral officials were repeatedly stamping the backs of the ballots but the ink had run out. There’s absolutely no excuse for this PF incompetence.
How does this justify the printing of ballot papers overseas? 1964-2016=52 years of independence. Incredible!
A blood piece of paper printed outside the country for colossal sum of money. Govt printers could have done a better job.
IF THIS IS NOT RIGGING, I DON’T KNOW WHAT RIGGING IS !!?
Useless P.F, useless E.C.Z
To start marking “Official” on a Ballot paper surely is FRAUD.
This is the Useless drunken P.F, normal people have been complaining about!
They go, & share taxpayers money with the dodgy printing firm & pocketed the difference to pay for the chitenge, & other P.F. materials.
HOPEFULLY THE HUGE VOTER TURNOUT MEANS P.F. IS HISTORY!!
ECZ do not annoy people. You went and camped in Dubai at huge cost to the nation. What were you verifying kanshi?
Maybe those ballot papers that do not have the official stamp are not official, but stuffed ballots ??
That is another possibility.
And we had Upnd observers who verified and said all is good. What were these skanks doing there. We as Pf are not going to take this lightly. Its 50% +1 meaning every vote counts.
You have poop in your head, you rascal and jackass.
@ Techilema, You don’t know when to shut up!
Mwayamba manje. Mutuyambila dala ka! How many excuses are we supposed to stomach without reaction?
UPND, we are in this together, you verified and certified the ballots with your colleagues. Now you want to point at others and cry baby?
That is the problem. All ballots had official stamps now how come unofficial ballots are appearing ??
I cant believewhat I am reading from ECZ.
What was that batch of cadres sent to Dubai doing, were they not supposed to do a Quality Checks(QC) as well? Taxpayers money spent for those guys in lavish hotels and you are giving us stupid excuses.
This was highly tracked Ballot Paper printing, how could this happen? And imagine this was not tracked what quality would we have received?
Ata!!
I also noted that ballots are stamped before they are handed to the voter to go and mark his choice. So how does favour any party?
By the way, ba UPND, all thise trucks that you impounded and searched, did you even a single premarked ballot paper? Instead of campaigning yoh go on a wold goose chase, what a pity that Zambia has such humans!
This is one freaking dammn question. What is the matter with some of you?
You were advised against algaria or whatever you call your company now look ? This is the begining of trouble in the country. You have to sort it out real quicky. Marking official anyone can mark offical from the bush or some secrete location. this will surely make things really hot
This is nonsense dont upset people just keep quite. You fly and camped people in Dubai 30 days you ***** of a woman called Issac with eyes like bulds. You refused the South African printers for the love of a big commission. See the Dep Director who is 30 years old but looks like 50 years but of corrupt money and deals. Every car hired you get K500 think we dont know. I will spill the beans you corrupt ECZ officals got K45,000 from my 3 cars and me the owner got K30,000 foolish and now you want to pretend you good fools.
Please fire the complete ECZ and r ecuirt new staff. All of them even the guard at the gate he is corrupt.
Really impressive but cheap rigging
Isaac P said some official marks is fading!what this simply means is if u put X on HH it will fade and the vote will be rejected ,the dubai folks rigging scheme has been exposed.In rerun upnd shud not agree to use dubai printing but south.pure and leckless rigging has been exposed.
Enough reason to nullify or suspend voting in those areas where anomalies have been detected
Umwenso ba under5 Isaac’s has clearly explained to you all to see that let’s avoid having a lot of rejected ballot papers due to this error of printout, Mwatampa akabepeshyo…!
I would not be surprised to find a pre marked ballot at this rate!
Party officials and delegations who went to witness the printing of ballot papers in Dubai are also to blame for not carefully verifying ballot papers. They need to pay back some allowances they got. Organizing elections is a very difficult task and so far ECZ are doing a great job, lets just give them support and confidence so that they finish this long awaited and difficult process nicely.
So what were they verifying in Dubai if I may ask? ECZ are incompetent and deserve to be flashed down the drain. Many people in the country did not want the ballots to be printed in Dubai because it is not right to involve a monarch to dispense democracy. But anyway I hope this will not be an excuse or receipt for anarchy in the country.
NO THEY ARE NOT TO BLAME. IT IS NOT EASY TO OBSERVE ALL THE TWENTY FOUR MILLION PAPERS BEING PRINTED WITH YOUR NECKED. THEY JUST DO SAMPLE CHECKS. THE ONE TO BLAME IS THE PRINTING COMPANY.
PLEASE!
NO THEY ARE NOT TO BLAME. IT IS NOT EASY TO OBSERVE ALL THE TWENTY FOUR MILLION PAPERS BEING PRINTED WITH YOUR NECKED EYE. THEY JUST DO SAMPLE CHECKS. THE ONE TO BLAME IS THE PRINTING COMPANY.
@Outside Looking In (At looking outside) it is fine! We knew what Hazalusa Hagain was plotting in RSA so just accept the ballot papers we have as good! There are many observers and I know someone will and has been beaten clean!
@Recruinio!! Mu.sula obe – mother fuc.ker
I thought before vote an audit from various political parties is always done……what happen this time
The rigging you were disputing is underway evidence has been displayed at Mulungushi conference Centre of Ballot papers cough up with one PF cadre. What more do you want can Father Bwalya, Mumbi Phiri, Chama and Kaiza Zulu comment on these revalations
Uwawa tabula kabepeshyo! So soon you’ve started complaining, for sure you’re a dying horse with so much complaints under5 mentality!!!
This is a sure a sign of rigging. it was a deliberate attempt so that these will be supplemented with pre marked papers.
The time has come when zambia should go to electronic voting. Zambia is advanced enough to cross that bridge.
Is Lungu the best this country could ever have? So true, some backward countries project forth backward leaders. Some Zambians have potentially guaranteed Zambia to be backward with Lungu in Charge