On August 19, 2016 Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Chairperson Justice Essau Chulu announced at a press conference that the referendum vote had failed to meet the first 50 per cent threshold.
Justice Chulu revealed that estimates of eligible voters were 7,528,091 and the minimum threshold was 3,764,046.
He also said out of the estimates, only 3, 345, 471 voted and from that figure 1, 853, 559 voted in favour of the referendum while 753, 549 voted against it with 739, 363 rejected votes.
Ms. Mwale was speaking with Pan African Radio Journalist Hermit Hachilonde today on a programme dubbed “AFRICAN NEWS ROUND UP” that there was less time for meaningful sensitization and awareness to be carried out by stakeholders on the referendum question countrywide.
She echoed sentiments by a radio caller identified as Victor Jere that the referendum was highly politicized and it was bad timing to conduct it alongside the general elections on 11th August 2016.
“The referendum results was predetermined and it was a wrong timing for any meaningful and awareness raising to be conducted throughout the country” She said
Meanwhile, media critique Mark Simuwe who is also an analyst on African News Round Up Current Affairs Programme that is aired live every Sunday from 10:00 hours to 11:00 hours anchored by Hermit Hachilonde accused the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) of disastrously presiding over the electoral system in the just ended General elections and the referendum.
Simuwe noted that the ECZ in its operation appeared not to be geared to conduct elections in Zambia, adding that the electoral body misinterpreted the law on many issues that emerged during the election period.
“The ECZ conducted the just ended elections in a disastrous manner” he said
EL should be charged for treason for misleading zambians on the constitution
All those WASTED ballot papers. And no one goes to jail.
Will they ever throw away money to crooks to reprint ballots in Dubai?
He is the waste president Zambia has ever had…
Sorry bitter people. ECL gave you an opportunity to acquire more rights but you refused because you listened to bitter & sadistic people. How cam you blame him? The job of a politician is to facilitate for good policies & ECL just did that. You think that ECL is the only stakeholder? You’re free to choose. ECZ also did a decent job. It is easy to criticise. It is time we dropped this negative energy as a country it will get us nowhere. Appreciate the efforts of others. How can you leave a life of always condemning & then you fill victorious after campaigning for its failure & thereafter celebrate the success of the PHD. How pathetic!
He is not really in everything and that makes him the most useless president….
The timing was cost effective and would do it again during next general elections looking at average turnout. Results tally with elections’ in that someone got 1.8m and the other lost.