ELECTORAL Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson, Florence Mumba, has declined a request from Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata to discard the use of the electronic method of transmitting presidential election results from polling centres.
Mr Sata alleged that the electoral system could be subjected to manipulation and interference depending on the installed software.
“We propose therefore that the ECZ uses mere faxing system of results announced at respective polling stations and as tallied and endorsed by all officials,” he said.
Mr Sata said this in a letter addressed to Justice Mumba yesterday.
He demanded an immediate meeting with all stakeholders before close of polling and announcement of results.
But Justice Mumba said in an interview in Lusaka that it would be difficult for the commission to discard the system which was agreed upon by all stakeholders including those from PF.
She said the process was already in progress and stakeholders had travelled to various parts of the country and could not be immediately called for another meeting.
“It is not possible to meet again with stakeholders and the commission alone cannot change the system. If the system was there in 2006 and it failed, no stakeholder raised the matter in our meeting,” she said.
Justice Mumba said it was agreed with all stakeholders that participating political party agents would be given a copy of the results which would later go to the candidates.
“So, I do not understand why this issue should come up now when people are voting. Really, what more can we do?” she asked.
But Mr Sata said former ECZ chairperson Justice Ireen Mambilima attempted to use the electronic system in 2006 but abandoned it halfway through the process.
“In 2006, your predecessor Justice Ireen Mambilima attempted to use this system but had to abandon it half way through the process because the physical/manual results from polling districts/stations proved different from the electronic results,” he said.
Mr Sata said at the last stakeholders’ meeting with ECZ, it was agreed that results from the polling stations would be countersigned by all election agents, monitors and possibly observers and finally presiding officers.
“It was also agreed that this results copy will be given to all agents, monitors and observers.
We would be comfortable if the ECZ could use these copies totalling the final poll results before announcement as opposed to the electronically transmitted results,” he said.
Mr Sata said his party was concerned that with the electronic system in place, election results would not be counter signed by election agents and monitors.
“This is because the aggregate district result is transmitted as a block figure by the returning officer using a special method only known by the transmitting official at the tallying centre,” he said.
Mr Sata said it was not worthy that the electronic system did not provide for correction of errors once it had hit the national tallying centre at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka.
“As a party with experience, we reject the use of this electronic transmission system and demand that even if we have to wait for a few more days to collect faxed results, we are more than ready to wait so that we get the original unadulterated results,” he said.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
