Youth turnout in voter registration delights OYV

Operation Young Vote (OYV) has expressed delight at the number of young people who have shown interest in registering as voters in the on going voter registration exercise. OYV President Guess Nyirenda said a number of young people have been flocking to various registration centers to register as voters since the exercise begun last month.

Mr. Nyirenda told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka on Wednesday that this is a good indication for the young people interested in acquiring voters cards.
He also said the decision by the Zambian Police to abolish the fees in acquiring police report for those who lost the voters cards would also encourage more people acquire the voter’s cards.

Mr. Nyirenda has meanwhile appealed to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to intensify publicity of the exercise for more people to register.
He said although the response especially from Lusaka has been good, many people were still not aware of the registration exercise in their areas due to lack of publicity.

He added that a number of people have complained over lack of sensitisation and called on ECZ to make their presence known in respective centres.
“The voter registration exercise has been well received by the majority the only problem is that there is little information on the part of ECZ to inform the people in the various wards of where the exercise is been conducted. So if ECZ could intensity their publicity it is likely that there will be high turnout” he said.

Mr. Nyirenda has also called on cooperating partners to help ECZ with funds to do more sensitisation on the exercise.

He has meanwhile disclosed that his organisation is conducting road shows and media sensitisation programmes to people on the on going exercise.
Over 11,000 people had by last week registered as voters in the on-going voter registration exercise in Lusaka .

ZANIS