THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) may not be able to meet all the constituency delimitation expectations because each district submission will have to be weighed against submissions from all the other districts across the country, commissioner Grace Mulapesi said in Solwezi on Friday.
Speaking during the official opening of the North-Western Province delimitation Commission sitting at the Boma conference hall, Ms Mulapesi said Parliament will approve the number of constituencies.
“Since the last delimitation, the need for further delimitation has grown,” she said.
Ms Mulapesi explained that there have been a number of socio-economic and political changes in the respective districts, hence the need for the exercise.
She added that the commission will only consider constituency delimitation, while ward and polling district boundaries will remain unchanged due to the technical implications on the register of voters.
The last delimitation of boundaries was in 1991 when the number of constituencies was increased from 125 to the current 150.
Meanwhile Ms Mulapesi told the meeting that disparities in the population figures in a number of districts should be addressed to avoid allegations of vote rigging.
Her comments followed complaints from some district officials that population figures on the ground were not tallying with those in the voters register in some wards.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Commissioner Grace Mulapesi is right. Why have this activity during an election year? Who is afraid of what? and who is calling the shots?
VOTE Michael Chilufya Sata for Presdo and you will see change.
We will make sure from tomorrow that our MP’s start undressing all over town in protest of MMD
INSULT SATA THE WAY YOU CAN,DO THE PROPAGANDA TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY.
THE WIND OF CHANGE IS BLOWING THIS YEAR.
BE PART OF THE BALLOT REVOLUTION.
VOTE SATA AND PABWATO COME WHAT MAY.
IFWE NI PABWATO NO MATTER WHAT.
Why increase the number of constituencies when Zambia cannot afford a larger parliament? 150 MPs is enough – besides the size and design of the parliamentary chamber cannot hold more than 150 MPs. Australia, with more resources and a larger population than Zambia, only has 75 MPs. Politics should not be a source of livelihood for people – let the Government create more jobs and let aspiring MPs get real jobs! Zambia cannot afford more MPs as it will increase the “cost of democracy” in terms of salaries, gratuities, size of support staff, etc.