Friday, April 19, 2024

The Judiciary has no space to take custody of ballot papers- Court Registrar

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Polling agents, European Union (EU) observers together with ECZ officials and Police officers witnessing the counting of ballot papers cast at Shangombo basic School in Western ProvinceConstitutional Court Registrar Kelvin Limbani says the Judiciary has no space to take custody of ballot papers and other election materials as demanded by the petitioners of the 2016-Presidential Electoral Petition.

Mr. Limbani has submitted that the Judiciary is currently experiencing acute shortage of office accommodation and court room space for its judges and other officers.

He has submitted that the shortage of office accommodation for judges has led to the usage of conference room as offices by some judges of both the Court of Appeal and Constitutional Court.

This is contained in an Affidavit In -Exparte for an Order of Detention, Custody, Preservation and Custody and Order of Interim Injunction.

But the Second Petitioner Geoffrey Mwamba has submitted that there is a real possibility that under the custody of the Electoral Commission of Zambia(ECZ), the ballot papers and other election materials would be destroyed, altered and tampered with.

33 COMMENTS

    • No need to have the election materials moved to the courts.
      GBM is alleging that the electoral commission announced 29,979 instead of 21,979 for Lundazi. He claims that ecz has altered from ‘what they announced’, i.e. 29979 to 21979.
      But this is total fabrication, as ECZ announced 21,979 for ECL and 4,975 for HH, and there has been no change. Some of us were recording all the results as they were announced.

    • Iwe Peace for Zambia gbm left class in grade 6 term 3 third week Wednesday and could not comprehend total cast and votes for.

    • IT SEEMS LIKE THIS PETITION IS TAKING PRECEDENCE OVER THE DEVELOPMENT OF ZAMBIA. MUCH TIME SHOULDN’T BE WASTED ON THIS. THIS PETITION NEEDS TO BE DELT WITH AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE GO BACK TO DEVELOPING THE OUR VERY BEHIND COUNTRY.

    • But is it only at the court that the materials can be secured? Why don’t they take a leaf from ZRA and just put the stuff in a bonded place….even at ECZ itself. I hope this doesn’t take another week. Let the real case start please.

    • When they arrived from Dubai, they were kept at the airport before distribution. Take them back there or bring them to my farm

  1. This sad indeed. By the judiciary taking custody of the elections materials doesn’t necessarily mean that the materials have to physically be in court rooms at the high court. Some secure Place under the supervision of the court can be found. This is to array the petitioners genuine fears. ECZ are conflicted parties to the petition

    • Very sad and worrying indeed. Where does it put judiciary now? Please execute your tasks with partiality and dignity, you’re now making us scared for our future with this blatant biasness.

  2. My advice is change the locks and let the keys be under the court safe without moving election material as such. use your brain to think not assy

    • Does hh and gbm trust any one. Remember their outbursts on the printing of the ballot papers. One would have taken their lies to be gospel truth due to their convincing nature. we said regarding the printing of the ballot papers that even if the printing was done in hh’s back yard they could have found something to talk about.if those ballot papers goes in the custody of upnd they will find something to moan about. So ignore them they are outrageous.

  3. Ichikopo chakwa Sunny Chintombwe at it again,kwena ulupiya alikwata gbv nomba Amano chikopo sana!Viva ECL our President

  4. The judiciary is not the electoral commission of Zambia. Why should they have custody of election materials? These are two independent constitutional bodies. Where are we going in this country?

  5. The Judiciary has just stopped short of stating that they know that this is only a trick by UPND to move the electoral material and during that time waylaying them the Mwaliteta way. UPND think that people are fools. Look at what Obvious stole through that aggravated robbery, the same things which up do. claim should be protected by putting them in the custody of UPND.. Hehehehe ba UPND mwaloba Ilya Uma! The election materials will remain at ECZ and we have tripled the security after the Obvious robbery….kikikikikiki….and 52 witnesses struck out….the rest the witnesses are not willing to come out and back false allegations and so be imprisoned for perjury…sorry HH under five wachepa sana, Zambians are too smart for you.

  6. I FIND THIS STUPIDITY BY UNDER FIVE AND HIS CRONIES BORING. THE CUSTODIAN OF
    ELECTION MATERIALS IS THE ELECTORAL COMMISION, WHY MOVE THE MATERIALS TO
    COURT AND SADDLE THEM WITH EXCESS AND UNNECESARY PAPERS IN ADDITION TO
    THEIR OWN TONS AND TONS OF PAPERS? SOBER UP SILLY ASS HICHILEMA.

    • More of the rules and requirements of natural justice here…..the monkey can’t be a sentry in a maize field he is alleged to have stolen from!

  7. KIKIKIKIKIKI CRAZY EVEN TO THREATEN ECZ AND EXPECT TO WIN A CASE…….WHO WOULD SIT IDLE AND WAIT FOR THE SUCCESS OF ONE WHO WOULD EVENTUALLY COME AND FIRE ME FROM MY POSITION? ECZ YOU ARE FAMILY PEOPLE, PROTECT AND SAVE YOURSELVES FROM CRYING BOYS AND GIRLS

  8. What type of dullness is this by this registrar? Is he fit to hold that position? He even has the audacity to speak/submit that nonsense. All this shows the troubles we are in as a country. Public workers have largely been compromised. The court can secure ballot paper where they are without moving them.

  9. Since when did Zambia not have space? It seems under the PF space is a problem. First, it was GBM chopper cant be in the same airspace as the presidents. Then it was GBM cant be in the same province as the president. Now there is no space for ballot boxes which came by plane to Zambia and were kept at the airport. Then why did the judiciary agree to clause in the constitution that said ballot boxes will be under the custody of the court following an election petition? Bring them to my farm if you dont have storage space

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