Electoral Commission denies claims voter registration going on secretly, threatens action against PF

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has threatened to report Patriotic Front (PF) Secretary General, Raphael Nakacinda, to law enforcement agencies for allegedly spreading falsehoods and issuing malicious statements on the Voter Registration Exercise.

While addressing party officials in Ndola last week, Nakachinda alleged that government had embarked on the National Registration Card and voter registration process in the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) strongholds.

Nakacinda alleged that government using the Commission was rolling-out such an exercise secretly without announcing to all Zambians.

In response to Nakacinda’s claims at a media briefing in Lusaka on Tuesday, ECZ Director Electoral Operations, Royd Katongo, dismmissed the allegations describing them as false and malicious.

“The Commission held stakeholder engagements from Tuesday, May 23 to Wednesday May 24, 2023 with Political Parties, Civil Society and Faith Based Organisations, and the Media and in particular, the PF was represented by Nickson Chilangwa and Mwila Kakana,” he said.

Katongo said the Commission also provided voter education in the respective districts to sensitise eligible voters to register at designated registration centres and this was being done publicly.

He said the continuous Registration of Voters exercise commenced in June, 2022 in all the ten (10) provincial districts and was later rolled out to an additional 10 districts and launched on September, 5, 2023.

Katongo said there was absolutely no secrecy in the registration of voters and this exercise was not confined only to certain regions as alleged by Nakachinda.

“We urge the public at large not to be swayed by such malicious and false insinuations,” Katongo said.

He reiterated that the Commission took such allegations seriously and further reminded all stakeholders to desist from misleading members of the public with misinformation and disinformation.

Katongo said such acts undermined the credibility of the electoral process and could be a source for anarchy.

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