WE STRONGLY OPPOSE REMOVAL OF OFFICIAL MARK ON BALLOT PAPERS
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) strongly objects the proposal by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to remove the official mark on ballot papers and submits that this amendment poses a serious and unnecessary risk to electoral integrity and public confidence.
Article 46 of the Constitution guarantees citizens the right to vote in free and fair elections. This right necessarily encompasses the existence of effective, verifiable safeguards that protect the authenticity and integrity of the ballot. The official mark on ballot papers constitutes a critical electoral safeguard that directly supports the realisation of this constitutional right.
🔹 The official mark authenticates ballot papers issued by the Electoral Commission of Zambia
🔹 Prevents the introduction of counterfeit or unauthorised ballots
🔹 Provides polling agents, observers, and courts with an objective means of verification of ballot papers
Its removal weakens the chain of custody of ballot papers and exposes the electoral process to avoidable risks of malpractice.
Electoral legitimacy is derived not only from declared results, but also from public confidence in the process by which those results are achieved. In a competitive electoral environment, the official mark reassures voters and stakeholders that ballots issued are genuine and that ballots counted are those issued by the Commission.
While the proposed Electoral Process Bill places reliance on hand-marking of voters and administrative controls, these measures are inherently dependent on human compliance and discretion and do not provide the same level of objective and verifiable protection as a ballot security feature.
Comparative electoral best practice, particularly within emerging democracies, favours strengthening multiple layers of ballot security rather than their reduction.
Antonio Mourinho Mwanza
DPP President
10 – 02 – 26