The Electoral Commission of Zambia has appealed to members of the public to refrain from interfering in the electoral process.
ECZ Acting Spokeswoman Sylvia Bwalya says it has come to the attention of the Commission that some members of the public are offering to work as volunteers in the Registration centres.
On Wednesday, artiste and human rights activist Maiko Zulu ended up rendering his hand to understaffed ECZ officers at a polling station in Kabwata when he went to register as a voter.
But Ms Bwalya said members of the public are not allowed to help in the electoral processes.
“The Commission would like to appeal to all stakeholders and members of the public to refrain from interfering in electoral operations. The Commission has already engaged additional staff to assist in the operations at registration centres that require supplementary numbers of staff,” Ms. Bwalya said.
“Therefore, all Registration Officers and Police Officers manning the Registration Centres are being directed not to allow any person who is not employed by the Commission to be involved in any work of registering people at the Registration Centres.”
Ms. Bwalya also warned unscrupulous people that are intentionally taking advantage of the situation to register more than once.
She said the Commission has put in place a mechanism to detect double or multiple registrations and anybody who is found out will be liable for prosecution.
“As such members of the public are urged to refrain from such acts,” she said .
On duration for registration, Ms. Bwalya said the Commission has started deploying additional staff and registration kits to all registration centres which have recorded high numbers of people so that the voter registration exercise can be expedited efficiently and expeditiously.
“In order to ensure that those who pre-registered online spend less time at the Registration Centres, the Commission will be publishing designated Registration Centres specifically for those who pre-registered online. However, all Registration Centres will still be able to cater for those who pre-registered online and those who will be commencing their registration at the physical registration centres.”
“In the case where a Registration Centre is catering for both pre-registered and those that are not pre-registered online our Registration Officers have been directed to ensure that they maintain two lines for the two categories of applicants.”
Ms. Bwalya stated that it is the practice of the Commission that Persons with disabilities, the elderly and expectant mothers are given priority during elections and in all the electoral services
“Therefore, the Commission is appealing to all field officers to ensure that persons with Disabilities, Expectant Mothers and the Elderly are assisted and taken in front of the queue.”
Why is this spokesperson issuing guidelines on how Voter Registration Officers should treat those who pre-registered, those who didn’t preregister and senior citizens only after numerous complaints from people and stakeholders 4 days after the beginning of the exercise? Why weren’t these guidelines given to Voter Registration Officers before hand and posted at various voter registration centres? People are annoyed and frustrated. If ECZ is to have different lines for different categories of people wishing to register as voters, then there must be enough working equipment at each voter registration centre, each manned by a competent ECZ officer. This just demonstrates incompetence in planning, coordinating and executing the work by ECZ!!
You have to be vetted before you can undertake any work for ecz especially such roles which are directly linked to elections. This is to avoid any risk of cry babies like upnd claiming that rogues have stolen their election. We as government are ready to listen to ecz and the challenges they face. We have given the funding that was requested. What we cannot do is take over the managing of elections. Ecz will need to find it’s own solution and answer to us the the zambian people as their customers
Aba ba mayo tabeshibe nefyo balelanda! kikikikiki…ati spokewoman..mu foot!
Unfortunately the independence of ECZ is just on paper. In reality, we still operate in a system which gives powers to the sitting president, who is also competing in the elections to appoint key office bearers at the ECZ. Therefore, the independence of ECZ is compromised in favour of the appointing authority. Meanwhile since ECZ and other stakeholders believe ECZ is an independent body, the ECZ should be directly petitioned to address the weaknesses experienced in their administration of the elections.
This is one useless ECZ Executive it does not instil confidence at all…am surprised the opposition is sleeping.
Why advertise Heineken beer on Voters card? Get money from Heineken, that is free advertising.
Was ECZ attracted by the green color thinking it was PF poster?
Why is ECZ advertising Heinneken? What has beer- a foreign beer for that matter- got to do with people voting?