The Continental Leadership Research Institute (CLRI) says increasing nomination fees by the Electoral Commission of Zambia ECZ is a hindrance to youth and women participation in elective representation.
In a statement issued to the media Mundia Hakoola the Institute’s Director noted that the increase in the nomination fee by the country’s electoral body goes against the call for deliberate affirmative action that would allow youths and women to participate in the Democratic process of the country.
“The proposal to increase nomination fees by Electoral Commission of Zambia will reduce the participation of youths and women to aspire as elected representatives at various levels.
“There should be deliberate affirmative action that allows youth and women to participate in democratic process such as aspiring for public office and various levels. The proposal to increase the fees for nomination will negatively affect the participation of the youth and the women by reducing the number of youth and women who aspire for elective office,” he said.
He explains that the increase will in the fees will only add on the already existing challenges of low representation by women and youths even when the two groups are the majority in the country.
“The increase of the nomination fees is by more than 50% of the previous and one wonders where the logic is in increasing theses fees by more than 50%. Statistics already show that there only 17% women parliament and only 3 elected youth out of the 156, these numbers are already a source of concern to the women and youth and the proposed increase will reduce their participation further. Youth and women are the majority in Zambia and there is need for their interest to be well represented at decision making forums such as national assembly so that legislation that favors their interest is tabled and well protected.
“The proposed fees will also reduce the quality of candidates to participate as many might not be able to afford the fees making therefore comprising the quality of candidates that we will have in parliament and various decision making organs, already we have some Members of Parliament whose level of participation in the house is very poor and doesn’t inspire any confidence to our generation and challenges that we face as young people,” he said.
He has since proposed to ECZ to find ways of ensuring effective participation of women and the youth in elections.
“ECZ should instead find ways of ensuring that youth and women participate in elections through affirmative action that will level the playing field and the proposal to increase nomination fees doesn’t address that it in fact makes the situation worse.
Our call is for ECZ to drop the proposal of increasing the nomination fees and consider ways of ensuring that youth and women participate in electoral cycle effectively without the limitation of high nomination fees,” he said.
The fee for women is lower than that for men. Surely I would take your silly complaining more serious if you were to say it is men being disproportionately affected. Do these people analyse things before engaging mouth
PF wants its thieves to contest and its bootlickers like Dan Pule, Tayali
All the noise Zambians are making about fixing Lungu and his PF in the forthcoming 2021 elections, will amount to nothing if they do not deal with the problem of rigging, which PF is good at. You will go and vote MASSIVELY against PF, still Lungu and PF will come out “victorious”, why? Electoral Commission of Zambia(ECZ) makes the final decision as to who becomes President of Zambia, and as things stand in Zambia, ALL ECZ officials are in Lungu’s pocket. As long as the opposition and all Zambians do not have a strategy to stop ECZ from stealing votes from opposition for PF, everything they are doing to try and come into power won’t work. They need to deal with ECZ, starting from today until the day results will be announced next year. If they do not monitor every move ECZ makes,…
If they do not monitor every move ECZ makes, they should forget about winning elections… yes, they will win the 2021 election but ruling party will steal it…….ECZ is the king maker, and they are on PF payroll.
KZ you are just a washed up fqql
Pf will only loose an to pf. Theirs no credible opposition in zambia, this tribal party should start telling zambians that their party if it forms govt it will be a govt for all zambians not only the tongwas . Otherwiz another deafet is on their way.
What did Zambia and Zambians do to end up cursed?
No hinderance at all. Raise the fees as proposed but reduce those of women and disabled a little lower but enough to deter time wasters.
Women and disabled will still pay less so not so bad if you want to increase that group of participation. It is high but inflation and the cost of elections needs a higher contribution from political parties. It’s a tough one this. I think we should definitely reduce women and disabled fees but keep male higher costs as proposed because they earn more than women and disabled. There is urgent need for positive discrimination to help women and disabled catch up.
FORGIVE HIM KZ. HE HAS A MENTAL BED AT CHAINAMA.HIM,SERIOUS ISSUES AND CONCERNS HE TAKES THEM LIGHTLY AND ADDS CHILLY TOWARDS THE SERIOUS ISSUES. CHIPUBA SANA.HE LIKES HALLUCINATING.SEER1S CHARM IS MAKING THEM LOOK TO HAVE A MENTAL PROBLEM