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SADC-PF URGES REVAMPING OF ZAMBIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION.
Updated: 30 December 2001 by By Hugh McCullum and Kondwani Chirambo in LUSAKA Following long delays in announcing the results of the third multi-party elections in Zambia, the SADC Parliamentary Forum has called for an overhaul of the election management system "to ensure that the integrity of the process is not compromised." The forum's 25-member election observer mission issued an interim report late today as election results were still being processed by the Election Commission of Zambia (ECZ). A final report will come after official results are issued, likely some time tomorrow. The statement, signed by Ntlhoi Motsamai, leader of the mission and Speaker of the National Assembly of Lesotho and Elia Kalyamo, deputy team leader and a member of the National Assembly of Namibia. SADC-PF issued 11 recommendations following its observations of the campaign, voting and counting in Zambia since 10 December. While it acknowledged the ECZ's useful work in advance of election day, 27 December, the observers said the process was compromised by logistical and administrative problems causing polling stations to open late or in some cases not at all on election day. This was caused by late arrival of election materials and delayed the counting and announcement process. The interim statement also noted that while Zambians demonstrated "remarkable patience, tolerance, political maturity and determination to cast their votes even late into the early hours of the next day", they had many obstacles placed in their way. SADC-PF was critical of the role played by the state and private media both in relation to coverage of issues and in access to the state media. "Political parties, other than the ruling party, had either limited or no access to the public media." The statement also noted that the media in Zambia was "highly polarized and generally partisan''. The SADC observers called for public media to give all political parties equal access and equal coverage. The election date, 27 December, set by out-going President Frederick Chiluba, by right, was questioned due to its close proximity to the Christmas festivities and in the middle of the heavy rainy season. "We acknowledge that setting the date is the prerogative of the president, as it is in most Westminster style constitutions, the mission feels that some voters may have been disenfranchised by this date." Ideally election dates should be set during a period "most convenient to the electorate. Other concerns expressed by the interim statement included: election day should always be a public holiday in order to provide a conducive atmosphere for voters. "The congestion and long queues that were experienced can be partly attributed to the fact that some people could only find time to vote after working hours"; Holding more than one election on the same day contributed to the confusion, especially since all ballot boxes looked the same. The mission recommended that transparent ballot boxes of different colours be used to save time and reduce the possibility of ballots being placed in the wrong box; voter education, especially in the rural areas was criticized because it was left to NGOs. "The ECZ should make voter education one of its primary responsibilities."political parties and NGOs efforts should be complementary; the low number of registered voters at 2.6 million was just 56 percent of eligible Zambians of voting age, a percentage the observers found "too low." Many of those who did register had not collected their voting cards on the eve of the election. "Ä national registration card is less cumbersome...but the mission welcomes the decision by the ECZ that voter registration will now be carried out on a continuous basis"; and announcement of results must be expedited. The statement commended the ECZ for employing "a significant number of women among its electoral officers". The mission also noted the participation of two women in the presidential race and a number of parliamentary and local government candidates. The mission had Members of Parliament from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. The objectives of SADC-PF include the understanding that elections are not one-day events but a process comprising a series of closely-related activities including registration, nominations, campaigning and media coverage, voting, counting and tabulation of votes, announcement and declaration of results. Since 10 December, members of the mission held consultations with a wide cross-section of electoral stakeholders including political parties, candidates, the ECZ, civic organizations, academics, media, religious groups and government. (SARDC) This article can be reproduced with credit to SARDC and the author Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC) |
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