Govt urged to adequately fund ECZ

YALI Governance Advisor Isaac Mwanza

The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) has called on Government and co-operating partners to help provide adequate funding to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to enable the Commission conduct the 2016 general elections with utmost integrity and transparency.

YALI Governance Advisor Isaac Mwanza tells QFM News in a statement that his organization is saddened to note that the elections body is financially limping, just a few months before Zambia goes to the polls.

Mr. Mwanza says his organization fully recognizes that it is very costly to run a free and fair election, and it is for that reason that he supports the Commission’s upwards adjustment of nomination fees for all candidates.

The YALI Governance Advisor has also disclosed that his organization will engage with the Commission on pending issues regarding qualifications of Mayors and Council Chairperson including the election of councillors as they still feel there is need to carefully re-look at provisions of the law and the spirit with which the amended Constitution was framed to arrive at modalities on how local government elections will be conducted.

He says his organization will further engage with the Commission on the Presidential Running mate to avoid a situation where, if the Presidential Running Mate, appears on the ballot paper alongside the Presidential candidate, some voters may be confused as at how to proceed, which may then result in spoiled or rejected ballots which may, in turn, lead to controversy in interpreting the outcome.