Provincial local government officer for central province Alfred Nyambozi says lack of publicity and adequate issuance of National Registration cards had contributed to the low voter turnout in the first phase of voter registration.
Mr. Nyambozi said that most voter registration points in Kapiri Mposhi had been deserted by registration officers after Electoral commission of Zambia (ECZ) delayed to announce the extended exercise.
And conflict management committee member Miss Victoria Mwanaumo who stood in for Kabwe town clerk Ms Vivian Chikoti said, a lot of people in the districts have not registered because of lack of registration cards and wide publicity.
Ms Chikoti commended (ECZ) for incorporating the National Registration department ,who will be issuing registration cards to people who had not managed to register as voters.
On publicity Ms Chikoti said despite her office and (ECZ) using radio stations to publicize the voter registration, many people in the outlined areas had not known about the exercise.
Mr Nyambozi told the voter registration briefing that the electoral officer in Kapiri Mposhi had not informed those registering voters not to demobilize from the voter registration focal points they were engaged to conduct voter registrations.
He said that during, his visit to Kapiri Mposhi many places had been left without officers manning the registration focal points.
Mr Nyambozi said the number of people who registered before the extension of the voter exercise was, Mumbwa recorded 15 888, Mkushi 8974 , Serenje 10 652 , Chibombo 17 000 and Kapiri Mposhi 14 049 respectively.
And district registration officer Norah Shanene reported during the voter registration briefing that Luapula , Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces were the most hit by fake national registration cards.
Miss Shanene said her office was eager to issue (NRC’s) to as many people to ensure that they were not disfranchised from participating in the 2011 elections.
She said a lot of the people who have not been issued with (NRC’s) are those who are an able to give collect information.
[ ZANIS ]
Whats the motivation of government not annoucing in places like this could it be because Kabwe and these other places are opposition strong holds? The government cannot give an excuse for this for they have state run media, Znbc radio and TV