The United Party for National Development (UPND) has expressed concern over a number of proposals by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) ahead of the 2021 General Elections.
In his letter to ECZ Chief Electoral Officer, Patrick Nshindano, UPND Secretary General, Stephen Katuka cited the high nomination fees, 30 days voter registration period, the voters register, printing of ballots in the United Arab Emirates and the lack of sponsored stakeholder monitors as well as prisoner voting as some of the concerns that need urgent redress.
Mr Katuka said the proposals if implemented will not only disfranchise eligible voters, but also serve as a systematic barrier which has the potential to pose a serious indictment on holding free, fair and credible elections.
“We reject the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) position to hold a 30 days voter registration as doing so will disfranchise many eligible citizens. Our view is that voter registration is supposed to be a continuous process. We reject the proposed nomination fees for the 2021 General Elections in that, in a democracy like ours, all citizens have the right to participate in the elections without systematic barriers like hiking of nominations fees,” the letter read in part.
Mr Katuka further added that the party was not in support of the suggestion by ECZ not to sponsor stakeholders intending to monitor the printing of ballot papers for the 2021 General Elections in Dubai while allowing prisoners to vote posses a serious threat to national democracy.
“We reject an overhaul and complete deletion of the current voters register as the current electoral code provides for continuous registration of voters. We reject the idea to extend voting to prisons as doing so will disadvantage opposition political parties given the security nature of prisons,” the letter further read.
The ECZ has since the disputed 2016 General Election come under fire from political players and stakeholders for its perceived connivance with the ruling PF ahead of what most commentators term a two-horse race between UPND and PF.
How long can It take to form a new team of ECZ? ECZ need run by women.
Look at the way Dora is working, so formidable… She running all ministries ever she came out of quarantine.
Cry babies.The smell of defeat is evident
Hahah they have started again. They are running out of excuses. They complain that nomination fee is high and yet their demigod leader is a self proclaimed billionaire. The upnd sound more pathetic as we get closer to elections. They are acting so B.I.T.C.H.Y. come 2021 hh will need to step down and give others in his party a chance to stand too
OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT
Dear Mr. President
REF: ITS A ZIGZAK; LIKE A FUFU VEVE AT STATE HOUSE!!,)
Mr president I do not understand what the title of my letter to you means. It is something I can’t explain: but one thing for sure is this is exactly what many of us ordinary Zambians are feeling. Confused and lost. Lost completely, confused a little bit.
Mr president I must start by saying that I am aware this letter won’t reach your eyes but those close to you will read and maybe this time around hint at you the content herein.
Sir, Zambia the country you chose to lead is in a serious crisis. Your people, God’s people who put you in office are complaining. Not only are they complaining but they are suffering as if they are children of a lesser God.
Your excellence when President…
What prisoners need most urgently are conjugal rights, not voting rights. When one is incarcerated they lose many rights because they’re prisoners. Voting isn’t a basic human right, only a regime on its way out would do what the PF are trying to do just to get 10,000 votes
The painful smell of defeat. Upnd has realised their Armageddon strategy has flopped and time has ran out. They have lost grip in Western an N/W provinces and the PF campaign machine has moved in these strongholds. Pa last, like chicken licken, run out and cry out loud that the sky is falling…..shameful losers!!! Instead of pushing his mps to develop their constituencies, you order them not to work with “PF”. Now PF is sonting in those constituencies….
WHERE ARE THE YOUTH ON THIS.
ECZ ALSO TRY TO BE REALISTIC OR YOU HELP BRING ZAMBIA TO ITS KNEES.
WHERE IS YOUR LOVE FOR THIS COUNTRY.
30 DAYS VOTER REGISTRATION, PRISONERS VOTING,
ARE YOU SERIOUS?
Doing things by hook and crook doesn’t reward anybody. It’s a misleading short term comfort that wont last.
@Wangling, continue and finish your letter or are you being moderated by LT. The subjects you raise in your letter are very critical to Zambians. For sure we know suffering and pain is only to ordinary Zambians and those in opposition, while all PF members and its cadres are not suffering as much as common Zambians do for PF promised them more money in their pockets and youths got employment. So, your letter may have shed more light on the plight of ordinary Zambians. Hope you will address more issues in your letter as you appeal to the president of the nation.
Awaiting to read the rest of your letter Wangling
@ Zambian Citizen, development in a country is the responsibility of the government in power. Mps for the ruling party, opposition and independent are only conduits for that development. When government has got what it takes to develop a nation or have not formulated policies backed by resources and political will, development in a nation will be delusional. By political will, it encapsulates a national resolve to bring about what has been thought through, planned, evaluated and executed for the benefit of a nation. In contrast, if you resolve to build a stadium in Mongu and take all resources for that plan and build a hospital in Northern province, then political will is absent. GRZ develops Zambia and not MPs.
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN GOOD COMING OUT OF THE MOUTH OF A CRIMINAL KZ WHEN OPPOSITION TALKS. IF YOU ARE INSENSIBLE YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. THIS TIME IS DO OR DIE AND NO ONE IS GONNA LET YOU THE WAY IT WAS IN 2016. THIS TIME YOU MOVE WITH A GUN, I WILL MOVE IN A BEE AND WASP. YOU MOVE IN AN ELEPHANT I SHALL MOVE IN WITH RED ANTS. NO MORE MY DEAR KZ. YOU ARE A MISS. CHECK ON MALAWI AND LEARN A LESSON FROM THEIR.
@HaaMuna: If GRZ is the vehicle to develop our country then mps are the drivers. If farmers in a constituency require a dip tank and vet facilities, ot is the mp to engage the relevant ministry and push for that agenda, if funds are allocated towards that facility, the mps job iscto identify it and push the ministry to implement the program. If the ministry is dragging, the mp can raise the issue in parliament and the speaker then the president will put the minister and ministry to task. Walking out of parliament and telling your mps not to work with “PF” has put upnd on the back foot!!!
That’s why upnd has brought up John Sangwa to resurrect the eligibility issue because time is running out and there are no ideas on the ground, the whole strategy has failed!!!
Cry babies everything ni opposition, come 2021 you will cry more
He is raising very important issues and only a self serving individual would disagree with the issues he is raising. Why on earth would you let prisoners vote when they have no idea about what’s going on on the outside? These convicts lost their rights… if you really care about them then provide nutritious food and proper accommodation for them. And 30 days only voters registration, and they are talking about starting from scratch… what the h€ck? And why are they opposed to independent monitoring of ballots printing?
All very valid points and it shows how this ECZ is a PF organisation there to serve the PF. Malawi and Kenya put these numskulls to shame!
UPND really need to go hard and risk it all in their opposition to these rigging strategies by PF and ECZ.
Mmmm , now I know that UPND has fake voters on the Voters Register. These are the numbers they were stuffing in the ballot boxes even when a person did not vote. How do you explain a 95% turn out in Southern Province . Truth Hates does not support cheating either by the PF or UPND, thus he calls on the ECZ to have a new Voters Register so that all those Ghost voters are deleted for good. UPND is panicking coz they know that their rigging scheme is well known and this time around will not work.
Ha ha ha Zambian Citizen, you are right MPs duty is to push for development agenda in their respective provinces and constituencies. However, this potential can only be made possible by government political will to make available resources. At that point an MP can do nothing whether from the ruling party, opposition or independent. So, The question to blame MPs on this responsibility should not be squared on MPs. As a matter of fact, government can and should bring development to any part of the country regardless MPs coming from opposition, independent or its own party. This is its sole purpose of being in power. The issue of walking out of parliament can and should be addressed focusing what necessitated the actions. In a democratic dispensation where ideas can be pitted for the…
benefit of the greater good, that can be allowed and mitigated, than it being the means to justify the reasoning of failure of development due to a sitting MP who holds a different view. That makes government punish its citizens for a cause not of their making. On balance, government will be seen to abdicate its sacred responsibility to all citizens.
ECZ is an Election Rigging Machine for the Ruling Party in its current state. Without Reforms at ECZ there will never be free,fair and credible Elections in Zambia. Justice Chulu was involved in rigging Elections in 2016 and must go. In Malawi the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) had to be reconstituted b4 the recent Election Re-run. The Chairman of MEC was forced to resign. Chulu must be removed from ECZ if Elections in 2021 are going to be transparent, free and fair. Nobody has Trust and Confidence in Justice Chulu and therefore he must leave ECZ. In Malawi the two leading Parties appoint Commissioners in equal numbers. Zambia should emulate Malawi if they want undisputed Elections next year. The writing is on the wall.
What has UPND NOT opposed? They say 30 days registration will disfranchise voters but allowing prisoners to vote is not disfranchise voters. These headless chickens are not sure whether they are coming or going. By the time they are done opposing everything, Zambia will have moved past 2021 elections. If ECZ were to restart the bidding process for who prints ballot papers when will the process end. We always move without UPND. The boycott national events, walk out of parliament, oppose everything but the events still proceed.
I thought allowing prisoners to vote was an order from the courts of law. So ECZ is being asked not to follow the court ruling in favour of PRISCA. The voter’s role is too old and dirty. It must be renewed. So many people have died and we do not want ghost voters. On the fees, I am with you UPND – they are too high!
I think it is not misinformation. A proposal can be rejected before it is approved that it the correct process. If it is approved there is no room for adjustments