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The Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance has demanded accountability from the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) over alleged inconsistencies in the implementation of the stakeholder voter verification exercise following the August general elections.
The alliance’s National Chairman for Local Government and Rural Development, Maxson Nkhoma, expressed concern over what he described as inconsistencies in the implementation of the exercise across the country.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Wednesday, Nkhoma said the recently released European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) final report had renewed the importance of transparency, accountability and public confidence in Zambia’s electoral processes.
He challenged the Commission to explain why most local authorities countrywide had not conducted the exercise, while those that did had reportedly received instructions restricting its scope.
“We therefore challenge the Electoral Commission of Zambia to explain why most local authorities countrywide have not conducted the stakeholder verification exercise, while those that conducted the exercise reportedly received instructions to restrict verification to Parliamentary and Local Government elections, excluding the Presidential election,” Nkhoma stated.
He said the Commission should clarify why the exercise had not been conducted uniformly across local authorities.
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Nkhoma said electoral transparency could not be selective and that electoral procedures must be administered consistently, lawfully and fairly.
“We respect the constitutional independence of ECZ, but independence must never be interpreted as freedom from public accountability,” he said.
He said the concerns raised were grounded in the Constitution, which provides for independence, accountability, efficiency and transparency in the administration of elections.
“We are not demanding special treatment. We are demanding clear explanations, disclosure of the applicable guidelines and equal treatment of all electoral stakeholders,” he said.
Nkhoma also called on the Commission to disclose whether it had issued instructions excluding presidential election records from the verification exercise.
He further demanded that the ECZ provide the legal and administrative basis for any restrictions imposed on the exercise.
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