Election is Not an Event but a Process, So is Rigging

Election is Not an Event but a Process, So is Rigging

Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba wrote:

Holding a general election is a process; from a fair process of registration of voters, to holding of campaigns, printing of ballots, voting, counting, totaling, and the release of verified results.

Election is not an event, it’s a process. It therefore ought to be a fair, objective, and transparent process.

This includes independent oversight processes such as monitoring and observation of the election by party agents and independent observers.

As has been seen in the past, at any stage, the process can be interfered with, with the intention to undermine the poll outcome.

Already, the Zaloumis Mwangala-led Commission has shown open bias towards the UPND and against the opposition.

ECZ has barred the participation of the Patriotic Front in any election. With impunity, it has called elections that have been stopped by the courts of law, as seen in the Kabushi, Kwacha, and Kawambwa by-elections.

ECZ has allowed and perpetuated irregularities in elections. It has not prevented violence or punished perpetrators of it.

Opposition-accredited polling agents have been beaten and removed from inside polling stations in the presence of both the police and ECZ, and ECZ has ignored this blatant attack on the electoral process, thereby making it an active accessory to the crime of stealing an election and thwarting the expressed will of the people.

Now, ECZ has suddenly and without discernible cause canceled a legitimate award of the tender for the printing and delivery of various electoral materials.

On 28th October 2024, ECZ announced the intention to award the contract for the printing of ballot papers and other electoral materials to Ren Form CC of South Africa.

But on Monday, 13th January 2025, the Commission notified the public that Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing of the United Arab Emirates had been awarded the contract to print and deliver ballot papers and other election materials.

The contract with Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing was signed on 10th January 2025. Despite previous pledges that the printing of ballots would be granted to Government Printers, this plan has been abandoned.

It is public knowledge that there are numerous government deals being offered and done with entities from the UAE, from energy power purchase agreements with ZESCO to now the contract to print ballot papers for the 2026 general election.

The opposition has demanded the dismissal or removal of ECZ Chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis and Commissioner McDonald Chipenzi, as they are established members of the ruling UPND party.

The opposition has also demanded the removal of the Chief Electoral Officer, Brown Kasaro, for his previous and serious disciplinary case of misconduct at ECZ.

But all these concerns, pursued to make the Electoral Commission of Zambia independent enough to process and deliver credible, free, democratic, and fair elections, have been ignored.

The holding of credible, free, fair, and democratic elections is one of the key factors to guarantee peace and security in the nation.

Therefore, actions that undermine these principles go on to endanger the security and stability of a nation.

ECZ must recognize this role it is trusted to play as an impartial referee and must act as a midwife to deliver the free expression and delivery of the will of the people through the ballot.