YALI Governance Advisor Isaac Mwanza

Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Governance Advisor Isaac Mwanza has welcomed position of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to announce elections date mayoral and Council Chairpersons elections in Lusaka and 6 other districts after both ECZ and the Attorney General filed their positions on serving councillors and deputy mayors contesting forthcoming elections.

Mr. Mwanza, who is a second applicant in this matter, says the position by ECZ filed before the ConCourt and their announcement of election dates has created a level-playing field for serving councillors, deputy mayor/vice Council Chairpersons and non serving councillors to contest mayoral and Council Chairpersons elections in 6 affected districts without requiring councillors to resign their seats.

Mr. Mwanza says ECZ has made it clear that only MPs are not eligible to contest elections.

He says this means that ECZ will thus accept nomination papers from anyone (including councillors, deputy mayors and Vice Council Chairpersons) who meets the qualifications in Article 70 to contest as mayors as long as one is not an MP.

He adds that this is good position by ECZ as it settles one question that should have taken long to decide by the courts.

Mr. Mwanza says the Court will now only have a question to decide whether a serving ward-based councillor who wins mayoral or council chairperson elections ought to resign his or her seat afterwards.