ECZ won’t conduct voter registration for presidential by-election

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has disclosed that it will not carry out a voter registration exercise for the forthcoming presidential by-election due to limited time.

ECZ Public Relations Manager Chris Akufuna said the commission will only re-register people whose voters’ cards have been destroyed or defaced.

Speaking in a live phone in programme on Hot FM radio in Lusaka today, Mr. Akufuna said the registration period will only run for seven days.

He said the constraint was not the money but the short period in which to run the voter registration exercise which involves many stages.

"Please bear with the commission, the constraint isn’t the money, the constraint is that this is a snap election therefore there is limited time for the commission to carry out the exercise," he explained.

He said the process was long and requires going through various stages which include the inspection, the verification and the certification of the voters’ register.

He added that it was therefore impossible for the commission to do this in the less than 90 days left before the by-election takes place.

Mr. Akufuna said the commission will use the 2011 voters’ register.

He has since appealed to eligible voters to take care of their voters’ cards in readiness for the by-election.

And Mr. Akufuna has said the printing of ballot papers can be done locally provided the local printers have the capacity to do so.

The commission will advertise tender procedures to source for a local printer and anyone who has the capacity will be considered.