The Christian Ministers Fellowship in Kapiri Mposhi district has welcomed government’s pronouncements that it plans to print ballot papers for the 2021 general elections locally.
Vice President Inonge Wina reaffirmed government’s plans of printing the 2021 ballot papers locally in response to a question from Nangoma UPND Member of Parliament Boyd Hamusonde in parliament yesterday.
Ms. Wina said government was ready to print the ballots locally once technical and security matters were addressed adding that a committee to oversee these issues had already been constituted.
Kapiri Mposhi District Christian Ministers Fellowship Chairman Morgan Kalyondo says that government’s resolve to print ballot papers locally was progressive and needed to be supported by all electoral stakeholders.
Bishop Kalyondo observed in a statement today, that the printing of ballot papers locally will lessen the cost of holding elections in the country and empower the government printers.
Bishop Kalyondo has since appealed to all electoral stakeholders in the country to support the plan and to develop confidence in the country’s institutions of governance such as the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).
“It is high time that we started having confidence in our institutions. We are capable of printing ballot papers locally but we are polarized by politics which seem not to take us anywhere,” Bishop Kalyondo said.
Bishop Kalyondo observed that printing of ballot papers locally will ease monitoring of the process as it will widen the participation of more electoral stakeholders.
“Other than reducing the cost more stakeholders will be given an opportunity to participate and monitor the process of printing ballots unlike the way it is now where only a handful are given that opportunity to travel abroad at the ECZ expense,” Bishop Kalyondo said.
This is a no brainier… why have we not been printing in the country?
Let’s keep the money in the country. do it!
As long as Mumbi Phiri doesn’t have her owner ballot printer at home.
Give me the Contract I will print for You. Problem with Zambian leadership is that they always think Foreign is good yet they are just making other countries rich. Use common sense please you leaders.
No it will increase the cost because corruption will rig elections. We will end up challenging too many corrupted results. We will hold repeat elections a thousand timez
As a citizen of my beloved Zambia,its a welcome move considering the costs involved, we just need to be more vigilant as to security and to reduce on suspicion.
Costs of printing election materials locally matters little to people bent to rig elections. These are smoke screens words to hoodwink Zambians. The issue of holding transparent elections in Zambia still remains. The electoral system in Zambia is still defective and pretence of burying heads in the sand is recipe for uncredible election out come in 2021.
Zambians should demand for a clean credible electoral system for 2021 elections.
We can’t keep the integrity of such institutions that will print the papers. Just see how the Zed Examination Council has adulterated school certificates. Ballot papers like currency shouldn’t be printed locally
They are still talking about ..come 2021 the Old Hen will be saying something else!!!!