IN ELECTION DAY UPDATE – TI-Z RECORDS 114 POLLING-DAY INCIDENT REPORTS

IN ELECTION DAY UPDATE – TI-Z RECORDS 114 POLLING-DAY INCIDENT REPORTS

Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) says it had received 114 reports of polling-day incidents from across the country as of 10:00 hours today, ranging from the presence of armed police officers at polling stations to discrepancies in voter details and the use of incorrect ballot papers.

In its first polling-day incident report, TI-Z said 45 cases involved the presence of armed police officers at polling stations.

The organisation acknowledged that the deployment could be part of heightened security measures, but expressed concern that the visible presence of armed officers could potentially intimidate or discourage some voters.

TI-Z also recorded 42 reports of voters asking to use their own pens instead of those provided by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), a development the organisation said appeared to reflect distrust among some voters over the official pens.

Another 11 reports involved discrepancies between voters’ identification details and information appearing in the voter register, with some affected voters reportedly being turned away.

The election monitoring organisation further received eight reports involving incorrect ballot papers, including instances where ballot papers meant for other constituencies were allegedly supplied.

Seven reports involved political candidates allegedly issuing campaign messages after appearing at polling stations, while four cases related to significant delays in the opening of polling stations.

TI-Z clarified that some of the 114 reports fall under more than one category, meaning the figures listed under the individual categories should not be treated as separate incidents in every case.

The organisation said it was reviewing the information received and would continue monitoring selected polling stations across all 10 provinces as voting progresses.

TI-Z has meanwhile urged citizens to remain peaceful and vigilant throughout the voting process, adding that further updates and findings from its nationwide election monitoring exercise will be released in the coming days.