A consortium of Civil Society and Student Organisations has advised foreign observers from countries that have been hardly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic to stay away from Zambia’s 2021 General Elections.
During a media briefing held today at Mika Lodge, the Democracy and Motherland Defenders Coalition (DMDC) said it was good for both Zambia and the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic to limit the entry of foreign observers from countries that have been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, DMDC Spokesperson Andrew Ntewewe said the Electoral Commission of Zambia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must lead consultations on how to prevent multitudes of foreign observers who come from countries where coronavirus has ravaged the nations and kills many of its citizens.
Meanwhile, the Coalition has disclosed it will recruit, train and deploy 22,000 election monitors in all polling stations during the August 12 General Elections.
And the Good Governance Zambia (GGZ), an institution that sponsored the two-day training on election monitoring for national and provincial leaders of the Coalition said holding a credible and free election must be seen as a process not limited to an election day.
GGZ National Coordinator Rodney Katongo said disclosed at the same briefing that GGZ will work to partner with various local civil society and student organisations who are committed to ensure free and fair 2021 general election.
Mr. Katongo reiterated a call to local monitoring groups to prepare adequately if they have to contribute towards credible, free and fair elections even in the absence of foreign monitors in the absence of foreign observers.
“Foreign observers, even though important to the electoral process, have a limited role of merely observing an election but it is local monitors who own the process that have a duty to ensure the country’s election are well managed. So, we can dispense with foreign monitors but we must prepare adequately to manage our own elections as a people,” he said.
To hell, the Ugandan version manifesting now in Zambia, our biggest problem are ourselves not covid
Flooshiness at play,these are the same countries where u are getting help to fight the pademic,u should reject there help as well.
Mashilu
August. January you are planning to broke who must attend. Is there any evils you want to hide. May the spirits of our accentors scatter those evil plans.
Proud Aushi Musamba Mumba, remember your posts. Bayamba
Shear Stipidity At Play. Donations You Receive With Both Hands But Election Credibility Ati Covid
This pf group masquerading as civil society is becoming a very serious and present threat to our democracy, remember how they told ECZ to extend voter registration only by 4 days and ECZ complied. This is pf at work. They are pf. They, like their mother body pf, don’t stand for good to democracy, it is just about one person remaining in power at all costs
Europeans and Americans should not even step their foot here for election monitoring
In whose interest is mr ntewewe acting?
Moses Mumba pocket and stomach
This is how bobi wine has been hit
These tu ma so called NGOs which are paid by PF who conniving to tilt the outcome in favour of their pay master!! Under Covid people are free to move, but under conditions that they provide valid Covid certificates and may be re-tested and quarantined on arrival. JUST LET INTERNATIONAL OBSERVORS COME FOR THE WORLD TO KNOW YOUR FRAUD!!
If they are Covid free then let them in. Why don’t you want them here – are you worried they will see the rigging !
Yeah let them stay out. After all, they always issue fake reports of free and fair in African results even when everything is wrong
I agree. We must not risk our people lives to these observers from Europe and US
Look at how themselves are seated! No social distancing whatsoever!!
Just because corrupt Chilufya Chitalu has been doctoring the covid-19 numbers , those PF clowns think there is no covid in Zambia.
Ntewewe should go and join his bill 10 in hell.
No rigging in 2021.
For as long as we are using their money, they have to be fully deployed. Now that your Bill 10 antics failed, u want to find another way of rigging the elections. U surrogates can never be trusted. U have chewed so much cash from illegal sources such that u are now afraid of even your own shadows. Wait; time will come when u will lose weight as a result of attending to court cases.
Ntewewe your plan will not work leave ECZ alone we need observers do you want to rig elections? Covid is with us already.
Makes alot of sense. We are in a pandemic. Why risk lives? Are you telling me that the upnd or pf supporters cannot have observers stationed at every booth? Do you need a foreigner to be paid thousands of dollars to do what you are very capable of doing? Utter laziness
Upnd are complaining as if they can even win an election. Waste of our time. Fuseke
That’s alot of idyots on that table, discussing covid.
This is Pathetic F0000ls at play, the games have already started…..
Just sow Mika Lodge in the story and just knew who was behind the whole mission.
Foreign observers do not do anything they come for holidays but being paid by the host through some hidden means, it is just a waste resources and we know that no one from Africa is invited to observe we don’t need those to supervise us what for, Africans need to wake-up and do your own things in fact we don’t need those donations that come with strange strings attached .
If we don’t receive those donations we shall not die however we will realise how resilient we are donations promotes weakness and loss of self confidence if you are a dependant you are the weakest in any society.
But there is no social distancing among yourselves- do you already are flouting the COVID regulations. What gives you the right to use it as an excuse to bar monitors from coming in to ensure all malpractices are documented and reported to the rest of the world. You there is no intention to rig then what’s the big deal about international monitors?
Elections are not for Heritage Party, NDC, PF, UNIP, UPND. They are for Zambians so Kaizer it is being shallow to look at them as issues between parties. It’s a national issue because people chose who they want to entrust with serving the public.
@nshilimubemba you have forgotten where you hide the loans and aid you steal?
Allow them in,…we want a transparent election devoid of irregularities , violence n rigging. Let’s try n avoid a re-run like Malawi went through.
plans afoot to cancell august ……. SO WHATS ALL THE HYPE ABOUT ???????????
Don’t these people already have representatives already based in Zambia? No big deal, they can still assemble a team already based in Zambia. This virus is getting out of control and the fear is that the mutations will render the current vaccines useless. We are also seeing a new strain of the virus which could devastate our country if left unchecked. Why do we jump to people who pretend to be helping us anyway? Let our African brothers and sisters monitor our elections. These people have been presenting to help us for over 400 years. Why do we think this time because it’s HH things will be different? Think before you cheer blindly.
Elections observers should come but should be advised to arrive on 1st August so that they take a Covid-19 test then go into quarantine for 14 days.After quarantine the should receive their Covid-19 test results together with elections results. Thereafter they should go back to their countries. Kikiki
UPND thinks foreign election observers vote. The reasons given for covid is very important. This idea of believing in foreigners must be stopped. Look at the way people in America and Europe are dying because of people like Trump not listening to advice just like HH being arrogant.
Colonisation has done a lot of damage to our thinking and how we do things. We always want someone else to tell us about our own affairs. We cannot listen to ourselves, we have no trust in our own institutions except those of others. We want to wait until External observers tell you about your own results whether they are free and fair or not. Otherwise we must sit and wait to hear from the so called observers. We must wait fir observers to tell us not to throw rubbish everywhere. If our own mayor says it it matters less we must hear it from Trump or some European leader. We are called third world not only because we have no proper infrastructure but also we are bankrupt in thinking. We are a danger to ourselves and our own society. Third world we are indeed.