IT IS NOT 9M ELIGIBLE VOTERS FOR 2021 GENERAL ELECTION BUT 8.4M REVEALS ZAMBIA STATICTICS AGENCY.
Zambia will go to polls for the General Elections in August of 2021.
Among the critical factors for conducting an election is data on the population that is eligible to vote as this forms a basis for a voter’s registration process.
Prior to commencement of the voter’s registration exercise, there has been debate on the voter eligibility population in the country.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia put the figure at nine (9) million people as eligible voters while other quarters has have put the figure at 7.2 million. There have also been suggestions that the figure should be higher than 9 million.
From a legal perspective, only the Zambia Statistics Agency (ZamStats) has the authority on official statistical matters in the country. This is in line with the Statistics Act no. 13 of 2018, Part II, Section 7(1) and I quote “The Agency is the sole designated entity responsible for the publication of official statistics”.
These statistics include population statistics by age, sex, geographical location such as rural or urban as well as voter eligibility in any year.
(i) The Agency has projected a total population of 17,885,422 people in 2020; and
(ii) Based on the 2010 Census of Population and Housing the age structures were,
a. Forty-seven (47) percent of the total population was aged 18 years and above,
b. Fifty-three (53) percent were aged below 18 years.
Eligibility for voting in terms of the age is 18 years and above in Zambia.
In respect of the above, the 47 percent age structure was applied to all projected district populations and *aggregated to come up with an estimate of 8,414,839 eligible voters.*
Zamstat also informs the nation that the Act is very clear on issues of official statistics in the country.
The Act also mandates the Agency to produce statistics, promote understanding and use of official statistics.
Further, the Act requires that any person or organisation planning to undertake collection, processing, storage etc of official statistics through any instrument such as a Survey need to get authorisation from the Agency.
Therefore, all surveys that aim at producing official statistics have to be authorised by the Agency.
It is important that players to acquaint themselves with the New Act as Government aims at developing an integrated National Statistical System.
Issued by the Zambia Statistics Agency
Lusaka