Chama Dismisses the Voter Registration Process as Pointless

Chama Dismisses the Voter Registration Process as Pointless

Archdiocese of Kasama Archbishop Ignatius Chama has described the ongoing national voter registration programme as a sham that will not produce the intended results of enrolling more than three million new voters for the 2026 general elections. In remarks carried on his weekly radio programme Ishiwi Lyakwa Kacema, broadcast every Wednesday on Radio Lutanda, Archbishop Chama said survey findings from within the Archdiocese had shown that only a small proportion of eligible citizens had managed to complete the registration process so far.

He said low numbers among eligible people were evident in areas he had interacted with. He said that during meetings with large community gatherings, only a handful of individuals indicated that they had successfully registered. He stated that this outcome demonstrated that the voter registration process was not effectively reaching the population in sufficient volume for next year’s polls. He said that this reality would result in fewer Zambians participating in the 2026 general elections.

Archbishop Chama also stated that bureaucratic obstacles were effectively disenfranchising many people. He said that essential supporting documentation had not been made available to eligible voters. He said that a major grievance among young citizens was the lack of access to national registration cards, which are required for voter registration. He said this absence of national registration cards had prevented young people from starting the voter enrolment process.

The Archbishop also said that the lack of national registration card issuing officers at registration points had discouraged people. He said that without national registration cards, the possibility of registering as a voter was not possible, and that this had blocked many eligible youths from participating. He said he had observed that people expected that national registration card issuance would accompany the voter registration period, but that this expectation had not been met on the ground.

Archbishop Chama said even if the current registration period was extended, the time of year created further complications. He said that the farming season would affect participation because many people would be occupied in fields rather than registration centres. He said that people would be working on farms during the peak phase of the voter registration extension and that this would reduce registration turnout further.

He said the total combined effect was that the majority of citizens would not be registered in time for the 2026 elections. He said that this result would mean that only a small percentage of eligible Zambians would vote. He also said that those responsible for the registration process needed to recognise that the implementation design was preventing large numbers of people from accessing the system.

Archbishop Chama said that the purpose of his radio message was to highlight the practical realities he had encountered. He said the voter registration process would not deliver the intended objective under current conditions, and that this outcome was becoming visible before the exercise had been completed.