FODEP urges information on deleted voters

FODEP urges information on deleted voters
By Sandra Lombe in Livingstone
Sat 13 Nov. 2010, 03:59 CAT

FODEP has requested the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to supply information on the deleted voters from the current voters roll.

Forum for Democratic Process (FODEP) however commended ECZ for constantly updating stakeholders on the progress of the registration process by disclosing the total number of newly registered voters and those that had updated their details so far.

“However, we note with concern that the Commission’s update lacked information on the number of voters who have been deleted from the current register as records from updates still reflect the old number of 3.9 million voters.

“In this regard, FODEP would like to request the ECZ to furnish stakeholders on how the exercise of cleaning the current voter’s register of the deceased voters is progressing and how many people have so far been deleted,” stated FODEP information officer McDonald Chipenzi.

“This will help establish the actual number of voters on the provisional register and help stakeholders strategise on how to mount campaigns with relevant institutions and individuals in supplying the necessary information on people who need to be deleted.

“The lack of information on the number of people that have been deleted from the register might be either a sign that the current approach of removing the deceased is not bearing fruits or otherwise.”

Chipenzi stated that FODEP feared that without information and proper handling of the issue of cleaning the register of deceased voters would not resolve the fears among stakeholders that had described the current register as an obsolete one.

He stated that this would also affect the upcoming new register.

“...without paying serious attention to the negative effects that such groups of people may create on the register, it would be impossible for Zambia to have a current and regular register devoid of ghost voters in the 2011 tripartite elections and would be a great departure from the principles of the continuous voter registration system,” he stated.

Chipenzi appealed to the ECZ to strongly reflect on the need to establish effective inter-institutional linkages with other relevant government ministries and institutions such as the Ministry of Health, Prisons, Courts, the Immigration Department in the Ministry of Home Affairs and traditional leaders in establishing the number of people that needed to be removed from current register.

“Having people who are not supposed to be on the register just swells up the number of registered voters but when actual voting comes, such people don’t cast their votes creating an impression that there has been high levels of voter apathy,” stated Chipenzi.