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Akufuna cites inadequate funds as major challenge to voter registration

Akufuna cites inadequate funds as major challenge to voter registration
By Agness Changala
Sun 04 July 2010, 04:01 CAT

ELECTORAL Commission of Zambia (ECZ) public relations manager Chris Akufuna has admitted that poor publicity and lack of adequate funds to carry out the voter registration exercise are the biggest challenges the commission is facing.

During the voters’ registration exercise discussion at the University of Zambia (UNZA) on Friday, Akufuna said ECZ was also aware of the challenges raised by various stakeholders and would continually review them and see how they could be addressed.

“There are challenges and ECZ is aware, but it is not our wish to see them continue,” he said.

Akufuna said it was earlier planned that the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) would be used to carry out voter education considering that they were found in all districts but this had not yet been done due to lack of funds for allowances.

Akufuna, however, said despite the above challenges, ECZ had demonstrated its will to go on with the exercise.

He said even the mobile registration centres that had been put up were as a result of the limited funds.

”We had to come up with a method that will take us to all 6,456 registration centres in the absence of funds,” he said. “It is not shortage of manpower but funds like I said so we have to use the same people to move from one point to the other.”

He said voters were free to register anywhere provided they told the officers where they would vote from.

Akufuna said ECZ was only a facilitator in the electoral process and added that it was the duty of all Zambians to tell each other to participate in what was happening.

And Anti- Voter Apathy (AVAP) executive director Bonny Tembo said poor publicity was the biggest challenge facing the voter registration exercise, especially in rural areas.

Tembo said some rural areas without signals to ZNBC television, newspapers and community radio stations did not know what was happening.

He gave an example of Mongu where people did not know what they were expected to do and that Radio Liseli was not being used to sensitise them.

Tembo also urged ECZ to clean up the register saying it was important for a country holding democratic elections.

He said the register was currently distorted and urged ECZ to find a best way of taking note of the dead or those who had relocated.

Tembo said asking family and friends to report deaths of their relatives would not work, adding that if people found it difficult to go and verify their details, it was worse with reporting deaths.

And Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) asked ECZ to extend the 90 days voter registration period to allow as many people as possible to register.

TIZ official Francis Mwale said it was possible that legible voters with National Registration Cards (NRC’s) had left the country.

Mwale said if the country had reached a stage where Zambians outside could vote in embassies, TIZ would not have asked for an extension.

And Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) information officer Macdonald Chipenzi urged Zambians, especially the youths, to register as voters and be able to hold their leaders accountable when they were voted into office.

Chipenzi said stakeholders had a role to play in sensitising people to go and vote saying the level of motivation among voters was very low.

Labels: CHRIS AKAFUNA, ECZ, VOTER REGISTRATION

posted by MrK @ 2:16 PM