ZCID describes new nomination fees as ‘astronomical’

ZCID Executive Director Horrance Chilando

The Zambia Centre for Interparty Dialogue (ZCID) says the new nomination fees for Presidential, Parliamentary, Local Government and Mayoral elections as announced by the Electoral Commission of Zambia are astronomical and prohibitive.

ZCID Executive Director Horrance Chilando says the new nomination fees will make it difficult for political parties to field candidates in many places citing that It would require a political party to raise colossal sums of money in order to successfully field candidates at Presidential level and in all the Constituencies and wards.

Mr. Chilando says No party in Zambia has that kind of resources to spend even before the campaign start noting that the country risk a danger of making the Zambian electoral process a preserve of those who have access to dubious resources.

He adds that elections could become overly commercialised with candidates selling their souls to whoever can pay their nomination fees thereby putting the country at the mercy of business and criminal cartels.

Mr. Chilando points out that this requirement goes against the spirit of the Constitution of Zambia which guarantees the political rights of citizens.

He has therefore appealed to the electoral Commission to revisit this issue stressing that failure to which, they risk opening themselves to Constitutional Challenges and litigation.