Electoral Commission of Zambia cannot sanction use of unapproved constituency names, says Kasaro

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) says it cannot take action against candidates using names of constituencies that have not yet been legally recognised.

ECZ Chief Electoral Officer, Brown Kasaro, said the Commission had neither announced nor gazetted any new constituency names and, therefore, had no legal grounds to penalise individuals referring to such constituencies.

Speaking in a telephone interview on Saturday with Zambia Monitor , Kasaro said the Constitution clearly stipulated when newly created constituencies and their names became effective.

He explained that the new constituencies would only take legal effect once Parliament is dissolved.

“The Constitution is very clear on when new constituencies and names come into effect. Such names only take effect upon the dissolution of Parliament, which is expected on May 15, 2026. Until that time, the current 156 constituencies remain the legally recognised electoral units,” Kasaro said.

He emphasised that the Commission had not formally communicated or gazetted any new constituency names.

“It is also important to reemphasise that the Commission has not announced or gazetted any new constituency names.

In that regard, what would be the basis of sanctioning individuals for using names that have neither been legally recognised nor formally announced by the Commission?” he said.

Kasaro added that questions had emerged over references to so-called “new constituency names” despite the absence of any official announcement from the Commission.

“In essence, the question arises as to what exactly is being referred to as ‘new constituency names,’ and who has announced these names, given that the Commission has not yet done so,” he said.

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