Printing of the four types of election materials in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), by the Al Ghurair Publishing and Printing Company has reached 45 percent.
Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Director of Electoral Operations Royd Katongo says the initial printing of 116 Mayoral and Council Chairpersons’ ballot papers which were given to the printer was complete with only a few remaining.
Mr Katongo disclosed that only those with new nominations which include Luanshya and Lusaka which will hold nominations on Monday July 12, 2021 are remaining to be completed.
Briefing the media yesterday in Dubai, Mr Katongo said printing of the 156 constituencies ballot papers was at 57 percent with 96 having been printed.
Mr. Katongo further disclosed that the printing of presidential ballot papers was at 27 percent and works were progressing well.
He however indicated those whose fresh nominations will take place on Monday next week will not be printed until the process is done.
ZANIS reports that constituencies to hold fresh nominations include Lusaka central, Mandevu, Chawama, Kasenengwa, Mafinga and Mpulungu.
As for the 1,858 Councilors ballot papers, 760 are undergoing printing, putting the works at 18 percent.
And Mr Katongo stated that the printing of the braille jacket for the 12,152 polling stations have been completed which have 16 brackets for use by the visually impaired persons on the day of polls.
He stated that the commission has already embarked on the process of training communities on how to use the braille brackets.
He also added that voter education which started on June 4, 2021 will be will be extended to all poll staff so that they easily aid the visually impaired when voting.
Mr Katongo explained that the braille template is designed in such a way that brackets will be used for voting for presidential, mayoral, council chairpersons, parliamentary and local government candidates.
He disclosed that the commission expects the printer to complete their entire printing of the four election materials by the end of next week.
And the Non-Government Organization Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has commended the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) for coming up with the braille bracket as it shows that it recognizes the constitutional right for the blind.
NGOCC Executive Director Engwase Mwale said the inclusion of braille in the voting process depicts the commission’s commitment of not leaving anyone behind.
Ms Mwale called on the commission to intensify training of poll staff on mechanisms of how best they handle the braille material.
The printing of ballot papers by Al Ghurair Publishing Company, which commenced on Sunday July 4, 2021, is currently underway in Dubai, UAE and printing will continue throughout this month in readiness of the country presidential and general elections slated for August 12, 2021.
Aha , bane there is a type of inferiority that cannot be done away with – Self imposed Inferiority. The printing of always printing ballot papers in Dubai is one such example. Look at the inside of this building ballot papers are being printed-dilapidated(saw one of previous posts where paint on its wall was coming off). You mean Zambia does not ve such destitute buildings?
Secondly , iam in the printing business myself, very small scale printing, yes, but all machines I use, I bought them, I don’t go next door to print. Government prints on a very large scale, so u mean government does not have abt K10 million Zambian kwacha to install such a technology in Zambia?
Thirdly, I lived in Dubai for 2years, Dubai is the cheapest place in the world to fly to. But the most expensive to stay and let alone do business. The executive hotels these government officials live in when they go there, jst to house one official for a month, costs the same amount it is to buy one of these Printing machines. Now they still have to pay the Indian Printing Company for the job and those Indians know it’s a government job so they overcharge. Ask your government how much in total is spend on this exercise – you don’t wanna know. Believe me
Or we print in Dubai just for the name “Dubai”?
CHEAP AND IRELLIVENT NEWS LT
We used to print at Government printers, then South Africa, Now UAE next will be in space
Even my printer can do this. Is it not just to command ‘print’ ? Elo ine nshadula
It always pains me to see such pictures of Africans, Zambians to be specific printing ballot paper over the last 30 years in a foreign countries at great expense on machines that can be bought on the market operated by fellow human beings. When you do a cost benefit analysis..you will find out that the millions of dollars we have spent over the years are enough to procure these machines outright and print these ballot papers in Zambia.
That Ballot paper will be useless and a waste when those PF stooges on that Presidential ballot paper decides to pull out …mind you there are people on that ballot paper we have never heard of in our lives but for some reason decided to pay ECZ fee to participate in the elections.
It’s only happening in Dubai because rigging the ballots is very easy. Couple of ECZ employees, one PF, one UPND – and that is not enough to hide the misprinting. There are quite a few companies which can do the printing here in Zambia – but then the rigging would be much harder!
And then the transport: once the ballots leave the printing company, there is NO oversight and then the REAL ballots get put in place. And NOBODY will ever see that. With totally corrupt people in place like Edgar China Lungu and all the PF leadership, ECZ can’t guarantee that everything is 100% above board. Not when they print in Dubai.
Good to see women participate in elections, so romantic.
Help me out what is so special about printing in Dubai and at what landing cost? Is the paper special, premarked ballots or just grand scale lotting of out funds?
Dubai is where all the stolen money is hidden.
It’s coming home
It’s coming home
It’s coming
Democracy is coming home in 31 days
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Riggings PF – The only thing special about Dubai is that they have a machine that can incorporate security features to the ballot paper and it has shopping malls for all these ECZ officials to buy their goodies. Any right thinking President would have sent a delegation of Engineers from ECZ to tour these places so they can procure the very machines and set up…its not rocket science