Opposition New Hope Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) National Secretary Hon. Elizabeth Chitika has said that the proposed 30 days Voter registration might lead to a high 2021 voter apathy.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) through its Chief Electoral Officer Kryticous Nshindano yesterday announced that the Voter exercise will run for 30 days and will start on the 18th of October, 2020. He further announced that they will soon undertake a fresh registration of old Voters.
Hon. Chitika in a statement circulated to media houses this morning said that the New Hope MMD welcomed the ECZ pronouncement.
“We as the Mother of Democracy in Zambia have welcomed the long awaited pronouncements by the Electoral Commission of Zambia. The move by the commission to introduce various avenues for voter registration like Mobile and Online is long over due and a welcome move”, Hon. Chitika said.
Hon. Chitika then took a swipe at the proposed 30 days Voter registration.
“We however have a bone to chew with the commission over the proposed 30 days Voter registration. This is due to a number of reasons which include this exercise is not the usual exercise as it involves creating a New Voters Register which will aim to capture 9 million voters. Secondly, we have to bear in mind that we are living in the Post Covid 19 period and the World Health Organization has indicated that COVID 19 might be here to stay. So there is a high likelihood that it might still be around by October 18, hence a number of people might stay away from the exercise from Fear that they might get the virus whilst undertaking the exercise”, Hon. Chitika.
Hon. Chitika then called upon the Commission to increase the exercise to 90 days.
“Lastly but not the least, We as the New Hope MMD are of the view that the Commission should increase the exercise period to 90 days from the announced 30 days. We believe that within 90 days the commission can achieve it’s target of 9 million voters. Unless, they have other hidden agendas with their 30 days announcement”, Hon. Chitika said.
Kryticous ? Wakanda name is this? Is him Greek? They know most DISGRUNTLED YOUTHS will be registering for the first, maybe they want to do it hastily so that the Disgruntled youths can fail to register.
Can you really register 9 million voters in 30 days!?.This sounds like that announcement that they would produce 3million Covid facemasks for school children in one week.Now college students have been told to report with their own masks
30 days Registration time is too short make 3 months at least to avoid congestion and rush for registration.
Don’t try to rig elections from registration point. ECZ must be fair and some of the voters are still locked in countries where there are travel restrictions and not knowing whether by that things will have eased.
PF must go!
Valid points from MMD
You did well to beat Josephine Mumbi Phiri, please do it again
No problem with the original MMD. But this so called Zambia Shall Be Saved New Hope MMD, what new hope, iwe Elizabeth Chitika, you mean for you and Nervous Mumba? .
You jokers, we want a party that can beat both the evil PF and its evil cousin UPND in one go, August 2021. 2021 has to be a revolution like never before in Zambia, only then can we send a strong and proper message to future plliticians. So that anything resembling the chagwas and kaindes do not feature in our politics ever again.
Good point MMD,in fact this voter registration should have taken 4 months. They should have started in September and end in December with a possible extension to end of February 2021 for maximum registration.Between February and July,there is enoùgh time compile Voters’ lists and do verification in readiness for August elections! Civil Society and Political Parties PUT PRESSURE TO HAVE MORE TIME FOR REGISTRATION!!
Pilato: Dear Mr. Hakainde Hichilema
By Pilato.
Dear Mr. Hakainde Hichilema,
Sir I hope you find strength in every breath you take during this episode of your life. I am a human being and my humanity is tempted to feel sorry for you. I would have loved to visit you even for a minute and shake hands with you once again but that may not be possible for me to do right now. Sir, if ever you get to read this letter please read it not with your mind but with your heart because this is not a product of my intellect but of my heart. Mr. Hakainde sir, please cherish this period of your life as everything you have dared to stand for is being put to test. I do not feel sorry for you at all but i admire you sir. You are lucky and blessed.
Sir, think about the tallest building, before the last…
You can leave voter open for 20 years if you want and still pf will win the election. Let us stop silly excuses as we draw closer to election. When you lose just accept the loss and work harder next time. Hope hh is reading this, our perennial loser
Even Ba Edgar agrees with me that Ba Elizabeth Chitika balikwete beauty mwebo…
It’s really off-putting when politicians use slander and malicious asides in their party press releases.
She started well, by suggesting an extension of the 30 days to 90 days, did well to encourage mobile and online registration in view of covid19, it makes perfect sense to extend to 90 day option. Most people would agree.
Then suddenly, a smear of suspicion; that the 30 days deadline could be a hurried attempt at impropriety of some sort……PLEASE OPPOSITION PARTIES BE PROFESSIONAL AND ETHICAL IN YOUR PRESENTATION. LETS KEEP POLITICS RESPECTFUL. Don’t work up your supporters against govt. Unacceptable Hon Chitika.
Nostra…. – How old are you man? Everytime you see a photo of a woman on LT you rush to comment about her looks without reading the article…do you not have brothels where you live to massage you? Grow up like your friend Ndobo
The best way to due with Zambians is to give them a short time to register and then extend after the 30 days period. If you give Zambians 90 days queues will start forming on the 75th day which will be January 2021. When they demand for an extension in January 2021 for another 30 days how much time will ECZ have to to all the verification etc? By June 2021 the process would have not ended and the cry baby will be already be crying that ECZ is scheming to rig the elections.
“Free and Fair” Elections are not achieved on voting day! The whole electoral process from Registration of voters forms the foundation for Free and Fair Elections! The biggest question is: How does ECZ expect to register their target of Nine Million voters in 30 days in this tardy era of Social Distancing? Second question is: Does 30 days include holidays and weekends? If so, what is the urgency of the registration to inconvenience citizens to do things on weekends that can be done in 5 working days? Technically speaking, 30 days translates into 20 days (5 working days by 4 weeks). If ECZ’s target is 9M, then 90 days is most ideal! Let’s be practical!
30 days is possible to register over 9M voters. People, registration is done at each WARD at the same time. It’s not like one person will sit at district level to register all voters. If it means extending then 30 days will be enough
Does 18th October ring a bell?
It’s a holiday for so-called Christians for Lungu to pray and reconcile. So One day less from the 30 days. We are also not told if the 30 days include Saturdays and Sundays. Is this Registration exercise meant to be a joke? Why the hurry to reduce the period from 60 to 30? Anyway, if we can’t respect the Constitution, can we respect anything else? PF and your ECZ, it’s not the opposition you are destroying! It’s Zambia you have destroyed!
Interesting
It’s disappointing frm some comments, there immature, senseless etc. We hv a noble subject ad l expect people to make wise comments, bt Junior jj, KZ, Nostro a few, your comment a stupid ad senseless. When others are analysing ad putting up knowledgeable points tht can correct the situation, the MMD hv put up a valid point which hs to be corrected for the benefit of all Zambians. Bt frm my assessment, you a PF paid writers e.g. KZ. Better u don’t comment, we won’t miss you.
I thank all who hv respond positively to the subject.
Zambians are peaceful people bt those in power want to take advantage of the peaceful we are ad cause confusion so tht they stay in power. Those days are long gone, we don’t hv another Zambia to run to, jst be fair, Zambia te ka sido kenwu, chalo chesu.