Maravi

Continuous voter registration to begin on June 21 countrywide

Continuous voter registration to begin on June 21 countrywide
By Kasapo Chibwe and Mwape Chishimba
Tue 08 June 2010, 10:30 CAT

ELECTORAL Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson justice Florence Mumba has revealed that the continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise will commence on June 21 this year in all constituencies countrywide.

During the launch of the media campaign at Lusaka’s Hotel Intercontinental yesterday, justice Mumba said the voter registration exercise would be conducted according to the deployment schedules and timetables that had been prepared in each district.

Justice Mumba launched the commencement of the media campaign where the commission would use radio, television and print media to sensitise the public on the exercise.

According to justice Mumba, ECZ would also use public performances in community centres and public places in the districts.

She said the commission had also partnered with Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) to carry out mobile publicity in all districts through their broadcast vans.

“Our foot-soldiers, the voter education facilitators, will henceforth be on the ground educating the public on the need to register for those that are eligible,” she said.

She said much as the commission had an obligation to publicise the continuous voter registration and conduct voter education, political parties, civil societies as well as the media had a role to play in raising awareness in the country.

She called on political parties, civil society organisations and the media to partner with ECZ to inform the public about how the voter registration process would work and its importance.

“Be reminded that voter registration is vital to the public’s interest in establishing a government based upon the people’s will and it is a key element of screening ineligible people out of the voting process,” justice Mumba said.

She explained that several activities had been carried out in preparation for the registration exercise, some of which included the acquisition of digital registration kits through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) coordinated support of cooperating partners.

She explained that the commission would this week complete the last phase of the training of registration officers in various parts of the country.

“Through this exercise, the commission hopes to maintain a permanent, up to date and accurate register of voters,” she said.

Justice Mumba said the commission would implement the voter registration exercise through periodic mobile registration campaigns.

She said mobile registration teams equipped with digital mobile registration kits would be deployed in each of the 72 districts countrywide.

She stressed that the exercise would run for 90 days throughout the country and each district would have a registration deployment plan and timetable for the respective constituencies.

She said after 90 days, the exercise would continue at the district centres until December this year when the commission would update the register.

“It is the hope of the commission that another registration exercise will be undertaken next year before the 2011 general elections if the 2011 budget allows,” justice Mumba said.

And ECZ public relations officer Cris Akufuna called on all political parties to adhere to the electoral code of conduct during the forthcoming by-elections to prevent a recurrence of the violence experienced in Mufumbwe.

Akufuna appealed to the law enforcement agencies to curb violence in Luena and Chifubu constituencies during the by-elections.

Labels: ECZ, FLORENCE MUMBA, VOTER REGISTRATION

posted by MrK @ 2:53 PM