Voter registration extended

THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has extended the mobile voter registration exercise for another 21 days. The extension will cost K68.5 million.
ECZ chairperson Justice Esau Chulu said during a stakeholders’ meeting in Lusaka yesterday that the exercise will resume on November 23, 2015 and end on December 13, 2015.
Justice Chulu said as at the end of the three phases of the mobile voter registration exercise on November 11, 2015, the commission recorded 893,783 new voters representing 52 percent of the targeted 1.7 million new voters.
“The commission will extend the 2015 mobile voter registration for 21 days from November 23, 2015 to December 13, 2015 at an estimated cost of K68.5 million,” he said.
Justice Chulu said the extension of the exercise will cover about 4,000 registration centres which will be carefully selected by district registration officers taking into consideration the population and turn-out during the elapsed 60 days of the exercise.

 
He said, however, that voter registration at the civic centres in all the districts will continue as scheduled until March 31, 2016 and will take place on dates to be determined by ECZ.
Justice Chulu said that in the last three phases of the exercise, Southern Province was the only province which was able to register over 75 percent of the targeted voters followed by Central and Lusaka provinces with 65 percent.
He said the performances in the other seven provinces were below target adding that those of great concern are the Copperbelt, Luapula and North-Western provinces.
Justice Chulu said civil society organisations and other stakeholders should take advantage of the extension to encourage eligible voters to register.
He also advised political parties to desist from displaying their campaign materials in public places before campaigns start.
And speaking during question time for stakeholders who attended the meeting, Lusaka Province commissioner of police Charity Katanga said that there is nothing wrong with displaying party regalia in the right places but this became a concern when it was done in public places such as roads.
Mrs Katanga said police are concerned and advised against the display of party regalia on roads.