The Zambia National Women’s Lobby Group Gender Analysis Elections Report for 2021 has revealed the August 12th general elections were marred with corruption, sexual harassment and violence.
The report has revealed that the high participating fees hindered women from taking part in the election and selective application of the Public Order Act coupled with biased reporting from public media.
Presenting the findings today, ZNWL Programmes Coordinator Faggy Chitanda said although Zambia has an enabling legal framework for women’s political and social inclusion, their participation in the 2021 electoral process was low despite constituting more than 53.4 percent of voters.
Mrs. Chitanda said most women were also knocked out of the race due to the grade 12 requirement.
And Cabinet Office Gender Division Permanent Secretary Mainga Kabika said her office will review the findings in order to make the necessary changes that will encourage more women participation in the electoral process.
Meanwhile, Zambia National Women’s Lobby Group Chairperson Daisy Ngambi said ECZ should simplify the nomination procedure and ensure that it breaks down the election results by gender for stakeholders to know which candidates are female and male.