United Party For National development (UPND) Leader Hakainde Hichilema has demanded for the immediate extension of the on-going voter registration exercise until all eligible Zambians are captured.
Addressing a press briefing at the UPND secretariat this morning, Mr Hichilema also called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia to deploy extra man power and kits to polling stations across the country in order to avoid disfranchising eligible voters.
“Extend the voter registration not by a month, not by two months but until all the eligible voters are registered. After all, the Electoral Act of 2016 is clear that there must be a continuous voter registration exercise. Even the 30 days was against the law,” he demanded.
He said the Department for National Registration and Passports’ failure to issue NRC to eligible Zambians coupled with the failure by ECZ to issue voters’ cards to eligible citizens was a PF ploy to rig the 2021 elections.
“The PF is sabotaging the 2021 elections by issuing NRCs to people in selected provinces and this is undoubtedly a rigging scheme. Rigging elections is not only done during voting day, the way the PF is disadvantaging deserving Zambians from acquiring NRCs is rigging. We don’t want to be duped this way,” he added.
Wondering the elections body has been adamant on its refusal to extend the voter registration exercise, the opposition leader said the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) was mandated by the Electoral Act of 2016 to conduct continuous voter registration.
He also accused ECZ Chairperson, Esau Chulu of failing to implement the pledge that he made during the President’s Summit that the Commission would be conducting the exercise in all the 9, 000 polling and that they would be capturing 33 people per day as a way of capturing the targeted 8.5 million to 9 million voters.
He has since appealed to the Government to immediately release the resources needed to extend the exercise.
“Those who are controlling public resources must release those resources to the ECZ so that they can register more voters. The owners of the resources are saying, ‘take our resources to all the 10 provinces so that we can acquire NRCs and voters cards,” he said.
ECZ is a failure.The institution needs a complete overhaul.
Voter suppression will backfire. Voter suppression energizes voters to go and register and vote in huge numbers. Disenfranchising citizens destroys Zambia’s Constitutional Democracy. ECZ must allow all legible citizens to Register as Voters in the 2021 Elections. We want to see a huge voter turnout in the crucial and decisive 2021 Elections.
There goes Under 5 Kalusa, exactly the Trump way.
There goes our own Trump.
Zulu Themba Isaac bayamba bwangu
Aaron Mumba niba Kalusa kale kale.
UPND is a failure. The top leadership needs a complete overhaul. 5 years of dirty propaganda and fake news from LLoyd Himambo at Zambian Witch Doctor has yielded nothing. And now they are panicking these smelly rats. (HH) – Failure, Milupi – Failure
Where is Milupi’s war crimes report? He said it was 95% complete. Is it still at 95%? Bumbling lDiots
(HH) – Loser
(HH) – Under 5
If PF is already rigging why are you just watching?
Is Milupi’s war crimes report still at 95% complete?
Point of correction, not Trump, but Tilampu
Some people will rubbish his appeal or demand, but they will do the exact thing! Fools!
We have been demanding the opposition to mount huge pressure on ECZ Board and Management so that they can continue registering voters countrywide but HH is making the statement when the closing date is vast approaching. This strategy of issuing statements from the secretariat will not resolve things but being on the ground will do the trick. The men and women at ECZ will not listen to any one other than President Lungu as appointing authority. Its good that PF itself has seen that ECZ is not performing to expectations as at end of the day they will need big numbers of people to score an outright win over UPND to avoid a rerun. Lets learn to do things straight way than having hidden motives. These elections are our business as Zambians and voting among ourselves to choose our political…
….even if registration period is extended, areas which were deliberately “paused” from registration will never catch up with areas which were not paused.
Yes registration period will be extended knowing the targeted damage has already been down in areas which are not their strong hold. ?
Extension may not be necessary at all registration centers. We were at Victoria hall in Livingstone yesterday. The ECZ officers were just chatting because there were no people to register. Looks like majority have already registered.
Wina azalila… After mwameka ati you don’t want new voter register. Kikiki kikiiki nayo nayo
ECZ already know that they will extend. They can not just say that now knowing the attitude of Zambians who will relax until the last minute to register. How many demands has the under 5 made and have been met? I demand this, I demand that.
Me me me me. But when I lose it is because of you you you you
HH is losing again
Another Donald
How many voters have been registered so far?
HH a cry babe. He is always crying before is whipped in 2021.
Loser u are. Always complaining napashilingile…loser
The fact that the opposition is monitoring the electoral process way before the election day could be a good sign that they are woke, unlike in the past when they concentrated their electoral monitoring on voting day only.
UPND should invest more in very effective monitoring techniques at counting and announcing of elections results stage.
People can be brutal!!! Ati Tilampu wapa Zambia. hehehehehehehe. H ‘Tilampu’ H knows he’s losing so he’s just appeasing his UPND cult members
This sounds very very familiar. A very rich man with no political experience fabricating rumors, and spreading disinformation before an election even starts. Kikikiki.
TRUE BALLY.PEARE BEING PUT UNDER PRESSURE.I AND MY HOUSE HOLDS ARE ON HH NOT ECL.
Opposition are time wasters. You mean in your strategies and planning you did not include scenarios of the PF playing games around issuance of NRC ‘s & voters cards and how you should counter such?You were dribbled in 2016 and you had 5 years to plan but now you are wasting time complaining and ECZ can never listen and PF are dancing your complaining tune. Do something tangible now or forget about winning 2021.Let your useles counsellors and MPs in your strongholds bus every person that was left out of NRC issuance to any place they can get the NRC and then bus them quickly to where they can register as voters.
holding papers and talking at press conferences is a waste of our time. You should have simply ensured that in your strongholds, southern, western, N/ western, Central , lusaka rural and copperbelt rural from 2017 every year all eligible to get NRC get that same year they qualify by doing so you would have countered this ploy by PF. Then now during voters registration you could have bussed your people to registration centres around the country knowing ECZ will play games in your strongholds.
So now you done.HH prepare to enjoy your life as an ordinary citizen very soon after your loss. It’s okay after all this mess in the country is huge for you who did not cause it. Just let go and enjoy your wealth But individuals that have personally messed up this country have to be held responsible…
There he (HH) goes again behaving like a high school pupil. There is no way ECZ will open until everyone registers. Not everyone wants to register anyway. The ECZ should just follow its reasonable and realistic programme. They cannot be pushed around by a person who speaks war all the time and he has no interest in the Zambian systems running well. So HH will create as much confusion as he can with the hope that some poeple will see him as an alternative to PF “Ulabeja mudala”.
I think upnd need another leader not this baby this Lila garry nkombo where are you.
history will repeat itself; just like sata, those who negatively about him,were shamed.
The outbursts by HH in Zambia are similar to Donald Trump’s behavior in US. HH is preparing grounds to cause havoc when he loses elections next year. Last time HH claimed he was talking to President Trump to whom he appealed to deal with some African countries that he claimed were “festering with dictatorship tendencies. (Well a US tweeter has revealed of a President who wears MATEBELA! – maloza ayo). HH’s rhetoric has prompted Mwansa Kabinga to register for the 1st time to ensure events in US are not repeated by UPND to plunge Zambia into chaos. ALL members of Kabinga’s family are advised to vote for ECL and PF to ensure continued peace in Zambia.
Mwansa Kabinga will strongly advise his family and friends to vote for ECL to ensure another 5 years of peace and development that should make Zambia realise the goals of evolving new district Bomas to develop into vibrant TOWNS. For instance, only a PF-Govt can transform Kazungula into a 2nd thriving City in Southern Province. The injection of industrial development into Zambia’s towns dotted along the boarder perimeter can enhance gainful trade for Zambia and its neighbouring states.
Kkkkkk
Kabinga will strongly advise his family and friends to vote for ECL and PF so as to clinch another 5 years of peace to see development of agriculture in Zambia – especially to realise the revamping of agriculture in Southern Province (plus Eastern) to its original status of being one of the country’s strong base of food production. Another 5 years of peace will witness agricultural revolution in Luapula, Northwestern and Western Provinces. We look forward to the revamping of Zambia’s famous coffee plantation in Kasama; whereas Mbala’s climate has potential to grow more wheat. Mafinga’s high altitude and cooler climate can grow more fruits. God bless ECL and PF.
Am not surprised, upnd thought they were the only ones with people to register and made lots of noise in the first week of registration but their ponds are dry and sensing defeat hence the cry. 2021 elections are the easiest elections between pf and upnd, there will be big margin and people will stop counting. Mark my words, am not a politician but have travelled the country and I feel the ground!
And ECL is Joe Biden, Obama? Ha, ha ha…