Residents appeal for card replacement extension

Residents appeal for card replacement extension
Lusaka, January 3, 2015,ZANIS…Some residents of Lusaka have appealed to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to extend the voters cards replacement exercise for another  week.

The exercise to replace lost or defaced voters cards started on December 27, 2014 and ends today with the ECZ maintaining that there will be no extension.

James Kamalanga, a Kalingalinga resident and one of the victim who lost his voters card said the exercise should be extended because people are still flocking to the centres to get new cards.

He told ZANIS during a spot-on check at Kalingalinga Community hall today that people have been at the centre for many hours waiting to be attended to considering that today is the last day of the exercise.

Mr Kamalanga however said ECZ officials at the Kalingalinga centre were doing everything possible to ensure that the large number of people who want to replace their voters cards are attended to before the close of the exercise later today.

And Victor Chinyama, said it was cardinal that the ECZ extends the voter card replacement exercise to enable more people be attended to.

And James Muchula, who was caught up by the ZANIS crew at the Lusaka Show Grounds said although there were few people replacing their lost voters cards at the centre, there is need for the ECZ to extend the replacement exercise.

Mr Muchula said the extension would accommodate people in high density areas who are flocking to the centres in large numbers to replace their voters cards.

He expressed concern that that many people would be disenfranchised if the ECZ does not extend the voter registration exercise for a considerable period.

At the Lusaka Civic centre, the situation was however different as ZANIS found very few people replacing their voters cards by 11: 00 hours.

Veronica Phiri said although there were few people at the centre by midmorning , the trend in the past days had been that they would flock to the centre in the afternoon.

Ms Phiri said there was need to extend the card replacement exercise to cater for more people who have lost their voters cards.

Meanwhile, some ECZ officials found at the centres monitored by ZANIS refused to comment on the exercise.