Friday, March 29, 2024

The Electoral Commission of Zambia has misconducted itself over the issue of printing of ballot papers

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A key component of a free, fair and credible election is TRANSPARENCY in the electoral process. Transparency gives trust and confidence in the electoral process. When stakeholders vouch for the printing of ballot papers, for example, to have been done correctly and transparently, it provides credibility to the electoral process.
It is therefore a serious setback to learn that the Electoral Commission of Zambia has made a decision to exclude observers representing stakeholders such as political parties participating in the election from observing the printing of ballot papers unless they sponsor themselves.

The basic principle about a free, fair and credible election is that the whole process of election should not be conducted secretly. There should be no secrets in a presidential and general election. The voters need to know and should agree to who will print the ballot papers, how much it will cost, how the tender process is going to be conducted , who is going to observe the printing process, how the printed ballot papers àre going to be transported and how the ballot papers àre going to be distributed to all polling stations.

The voters àre also interested to know how and where the ballot papers àre going to be stored, how the ballot papers àre going to be given out to eligible voters and how they are going to be counted, transmitted and announced to the public. The whole process must be done in full view of the public.

It cannot and should never be a secret undertaking by the Electoral Commission of Zambia. We still have an unresolved problem of electronic transmission of results and access to the Electoral Commission of Zambia computer room. Whereas we are in the computer age and need to embrace modern technology in managing elections, we do not agree that such technology should be used secretly to manipulate results of the election. Currently, the PF has access to the Electoral Commission of Zambia computer room but no other political party is allowed access to the computer room. Why? In the 2016 presidential and general elections, senior PF cadres were allowed access to the computer room to manipulate results of the election. In the interest of transparency, all political parties participating in the election should be allowed access to the Electoral Commission of Zambia computer room.

So far, the Electoral Commission of Zambia has misconducted itself over the issue of printing of ballot papers. At a time when the country is still debating on whether to print the ballot papers in Zambia or abroad, the Electoral Commission of Zambia proceeded to award a tender to a company in Dubai to print the ballot papers almost one and half years before the presidential and general elections in August 2021 . Why the hurry?

This has been devoid of consultations with major stakeholders. In the past, stakeholders used to be consulted over serious matters like the printing of presidential and general election ballot papers. What has changed? Would someone be wrong to conclude that there is vested interest in the printing of presidential and general election ballot papers? In the past, some Electoral Commission of Zambia officials were arrested and charged with corruption offences relating to the printing of ballot papers. What has motivated the Electoral Commission of Zambia to move very fast to award a tender to the Dubai company? The Electoral Commission of Zambia owes the nation an explanation on its decision to award a tender to the Dubai company. When and where did they advertise the tender? How many companies participated in the tender? What were the various tender prices by respective bidders? What were the various capacities of the bidders to undertake the exercise?

After they have answered the above questions, they should then answer the crucial question of why they want to print the presidential and general election ballot papers secretly because they have no money to sponsor observers to Dubai to witness the printing of ballot papers.

The explanation given so far for not considering to sponsor observers to Dubai to witness the printing of ballot papers is absurd. The Electoral Commission of Zambia cannot claim at this stage that it has no money to sponsor observers to Dubai to witness the printing of ballot papers. The printing of ballot papers will be done in 2021.The government budget for the year 2021 has not yet been presented to Parliament for approval. How does the Electoral Commission of Zambia conclude that there will be no money in the 2021 government budget to sponsor observers to Dubai to witness the printing of ballot papers? If the Electoral Commission of Zambia has no money now in this year’s budget, it doesn’t mean that it will have no money even in the 2021 budget.

The job of the Electoral Commission of Zambia is to prepare its budget for 2021 and have it presented to Parliament for approval. It is up to the Members of Parliament to approve or reject the provision of sponsoring observers to Dubai to witness the printing of ballot papers. The Electoral Commission of Zambia has no mandate to decide on behalf of the Zambian people whether or not to sponsor observers to Dubai to witness the printing of ballot papers. We, the Zambian people using our money from taxes have decided in the past and will continue to decide in future that in the interest of transparency and in order to have free, fair and credible elections, we will pay for election observers to monitor the printing of ballot papers. It is not ECZ money, it’s our money. So who is ECZ to tell us that there is no money to sponsor observers to Dubai to witness the printing of ballot papers?

Such decisions by the Electoral Commission of Zambia only go to reinforce suspicions that the PF government is planning to abuse the Electoral Commission of Zambia to rig the 2021 presidential and general elections. We have already seen the manoeuvring over the 2021presidential and general elections. The PF government has been secretly issuing National Registration Cards to members in its strongholds in order to have an in-built majority in the voters register. They are also planning to scrap the current voters register and come up with a totally new voters register where they are targeting to register 9 million voters. There are also plans to introduce electronic voting.

And of course, we are aware of the manoeuvring to enact Bill 10 to enhance chances for the PF to manipulate and win the 2021 presidential and general elections.

These schemes will be met by people power. PF should just realise that they have failed to deliver to the Zambian people. They should leave peacefully and in a dignified manner. They will regret if they try to impose themselves on the Zambian people.

17 COMMENTS

  1. Upnd wants ECZ to escort them to state house because they won’t accept anything else. They are getting scared of contesting the 2021 elections because they realise that their unholy ammagedon campaign has failed to yield a revolution and violent protests by the people against PF. The voting pattern hasn’t changed. Now they want to disrupt the normal processes of the ECZ. Real donkeys!!

  2. You want us to waste tax payers money by paying for you to witness printing of ballot papers, and yet you claim your president is a billionaire. Why can’t he pay? Castle too much.

    • Just sponsor your witnesses to Dubai than wasting our money!!Nobody could even read this long and useless article from drunkard Charles Kakoma!!!Majority Zambians are behind ECZ.Why waste money on every Jim & Jack to simply go and watch towers in Dubai?Please,give us a break shah!!Bo Kakoma please go and mourn your Senior Chief Ndungu than dreaming about 2021 general elections which your Kainde will 100% lose to Mighty PF!!!Dont you get tired of losing kansi imwe fi UPND?Kainde has been losing since 2006 but you still dream about state house-my gosh!!You claim to be rich,so sponsor yourselves to Dubai-period!!ECZ is not stopping you from doing that!!

  3. KZ,IT IS HIS CASH.HE WORKED FOR IT NOT YOU.AND THE OTHER POINT IS WHY ARE U SCARED OF THAT IDEA?YOU, KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. THE REALITY WILL CATCH UP WITH U.UNDER THE SUN THEY IS NO SECRET AND IT WILL BE REVIEWED. THEY ARE NOT USING YOUR CASH BUT GOVERNMENT MONEY MIND U. TAX PAYER NOT KZS CASH. MWILAMONA ATI ABANTU FIPUBA. WE,KNOW ALOT MORE THAN U DO. GOD IS WATCHING.

  4. Ba UPND, ECZ has NOT excluded observers from witnessing the printing – they are just not gonna pay for you to do so. Go there if you want, no one will stop you. The thing you are doing is eroding confidence in the ECZ and that is not good for the country. You guys are a septic lot – this is not how to conduct opposition politics. You are fanning chaos.

  5. However there’s MANINGI NDALAMA to buy an expensive flying Champagne Bar to fly President J0nathan & his Narc0 sidekick [email protected] to ensure they conclude their deals in utmost privacy & calm & comfort, whilst Zambians are surviving on wild fruits, & are now told NO NDALAMA TO FOLLOW DEMOCRATIC ELECTORAL PROCEDURES.
    Only in Zambia!!

  6. Excellent observations by Charles Kakoma, thats the way the process should be done in order to avoid final results being contested

  7. Before casting the votes you have already started crying, you under five the ECZ is allowing anyone to observe the printing of ballot papers on condition that each party to sponsor its observers.
    It’s a good move by the ECZ. If the party has no money don’t send your observers just wait when ballot papers are in you will be told to go and verify at the airport. And everyone will know where they will store the ballot papers. Since you are accusing them that they want to rig the elections take all necessary measures so that they don’t rig.

  8. We have historical records that backs the claim that the government, in the interest of strengthening our democracy, sponsored political parties (ruling and opposition) to witness the printing of ballot papers. What has changed? Why should we politicize a basic principle? Can we for once get serious for once and support the right thing.

  9. The tender for printing of ballot papers was advertised for 2 whole months, where were you UPND? Too busy concocting fake stories on social media ka? No one is stopping you from going to Dubai to observe the printing of ballot papers bwana! All ECZ are saying is use your own money!!! How hard is that for you to understand? And why should they spend money for parties that are not a factor to go on jollies at the expense of the tax payer? The mind boggles. Just change your strategy bwana. Start by getting rid of your strategic advisers.

  10. Sometimes UPND try to trust Zambian institutionalization.Maybe go see SEER 1 ,maybe you can trust him.UPND is too insecure no wonder they are suffering from BITTERNESS and HATRED.

  11. I thought we all agreed to stick to the rules when it comes to adhering to austerity. All day long we cry about this govt being imprudent with tax payers money. And here we are trying to be as wasteful.

    Awe. All must should sponsor their lot. After all, not many will make the trip if See 1 is to be believed.

  12. The same ECZ oversaw the transition of power from UNIP to MMD to PF. Nothing has changed.
    They have never favored any one. This cry baby stance is aimed at luring ECZ to have a soft heart for ever losing Upndead.
    You don’t coerce a referee to win the game.

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