THE Electoral Commission of Zambia has implored journalists to provide accurate information on the electoral process, for elections can build or break the country.
Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chief elections officer Patrick Nshindano updated journalists on the voter registration and the electoral process at the Commission’s offices in Lusaka, yesterday.
He ended his briefing by thanking media personnel for the role they continue to play in Zambia’s electoral process.
“[I] encourage you to provide accurate information as elections can build or break our nation,” Nshindano said.
Earlier, Nshindano indicated that the ECZ was happy to note that the Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship (DNRPC) had intensified the issuance of national registration cards (NRCs) to citizens throughout the country.
He is confident the exercise would enable more eligible Zambians to acquire NRCs and that such people would be able to register as voters.
The second phase of issuing NRCs was scheduled to begin in Central, Muchinga, Southern, Lusaka and Western provinces on September 1, 2020.
But home affairs minister and Shiwang’andu PF member of parliament Stephen Kampyongo announced a postponement of the process, two days before its start.
“The Commission has also noted that the DNRPC has extended the period of the mobile issuance of NRCs by 10 days from 10th September, 2020 to 19th September 2020 in the first phase and the second phase will run for 40 days from 20th September, 2020 to 30th October, 2020,” Nshindano noted. “To ensure that no one who has obtained an NRC is disenfranchised, the Commission has been prompted to reschedule the dates for the registration of voters.”
He also disclosed that the mobile voter registration exercise which was scheduled to commence on October 19, 2020 to November 20, 2020, would now be conducted from October 28, 2020 to November 30, 2020, “to accommodate eligible citizens who would have obtained their NRCs.”
“This further puts pressure on the already tight election calendar that the Commission is working with and is confident that DNRPC will be able to conclude as scheduled,” Nshindano said. “It should be noted that should there be any further adjustment in the issuance of NRCs, the Commission will, however, not be able to adjust the start date again, due to legally binding dates, especially the constitutionally enshrined date for the general elections, which 12th August, 2020.”
On the online pre-registration exercise, Nshindano said the dates for the same remained unchanged.
“The online pre-registration will still commence on 21st September, 2020 to 6 November, 2020. This implies that the pre-online voter registration exercise will run for a total period of 46 days,” he noted.
Nshindano reiterated that while the ECZ would retain the current registered voters, such was conditional.
The condition is that those who are already registered as voters should still present themselves for verification, update and capture of additional information required, including biometric capture (10 fingerprints and portrait).