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The EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) has reported a sharp deterioration in the conduct of results tabulation in Zambia citing procedural lapses, reduced transparency and incidents of violence at totalling centres.
Following the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s suspension of counting on August 14 EU EOM reported that tabulation was underway in 226 constituency totalling centres nationwide and was still ongoing in some centres as of August 19.
In its report released in Lusaka on Wednesday, the Mission said it deployed observers to 64 of those centres across all 10 provinces.
“The ECZ suspended the counting and announcement of results nationwide between 12:00 and 18:00 on 14 August, citing violent incidents targeting polling staff and allegations of ballot box theft. The Commission did not provide details on locations or the extent of the incidents,” the mission said.
Prior to the suspension, the EU EOM said it assessed tabulation as very good in 43 percent of its observations with polling agents and citizen observers being present in almost all centres monitored.
It stated that after the suspension was lifted late on 14 August, observers recorded a significant decline in procedures.
The mission said Staff in a high number of centres failed to record results on tally sheets immediately after announcement by returning officers, as required by electoral regulations.
“Verification standards also dropped. The number of observations where figures entered into the digital results management kit matched those on the tally sheet fell compared to pre-suspension levels,” it said.
The Mission further noted extended breaks during tabulation in almost half of observations, with returning officers appearing to wait for instructions from ECZ headquarters before proceeding.
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It noted that a heavy military presence was deployed to totalling centres after the suspension and this was reported as intimidating by interlocutors and contributed to a lower presence of party agents and citizen observers than before.
The EU EOM said it also documented specific violent incidents like in Lusaka, where an armed group attacked the Makeni totalling centre on August 15 and removed almost all polling station result forms.
In Central Province, the Mission said credible witnesses told observers that alleged UPND cadres raided two of three totalling centres in Kabwe on 16 August, disrupting tabulation.
On transparency, the EU EOM criticized the ECZ for not publishing partial or disaggregated polling station results.
“The Commission launched a results website the day before elections but did not upload partial results. On election day it confirmed it would not publish polling station-level data,” it noted.
Preliminary presidential results were declared by the ECZ shortly before 03:00 on 18 August and the EU EOM assured that it remains in Zambia and continues to observe the post-election process with nationwide coverage.
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