Voter Registration will not be extended, insists Kryticous Patrick Nshindano
By Derrick Sinjela in Lusaka, reporting for Kwilanzi News Zambia
ELECTORAL Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Chief Electoral Officer Kryticous Patrick Nshindano insists that the electoral body headed by Justice Essau Chulu and Ms. Emily Munthali-Sikazwe will not extend the Countrywide Voter Registration beyond the on-going Sunday 9th November to Saturday 12th December 2020 threshold.
Franked by ECZ Acting Public Relations Manager Sylvia Bwalya, Nshindano an economist by profession assured citizens that the Commission is on course as the registration task reached a fourth and final phase ending on the Saturday 12th of December 2020.
Responding to a question posed by Derrick Sinjela of the Rainbow Newspaper Zambia Limited as to whether or not the ECZ would bow to pressure to rough occasioning an extension, a confident Mr. Nshindano maintained an earlier stance that such a consideration for now was not on hr table.
“For now the possibility of extending the voter registration exercise is not on the table. After concluding the ongoing registration process, the electoral body will sit to review the progress done and see if there will be need to extend. For now, the voter registration exercise will end on Saturday 12th December 2020,” protested to a question posed by Rainbow Newspaper Zambia Limited.
Nshindano thanked all the people that have since registered as voters for the coming elections and assured voters that citizens who will present themselves at designated centers will be registered and none must be precluded from registering as a voter.
On the controversial Prison Vote, Nshindano explained that the electoral body will register eligible persons in lawful custody from Wednesday 9th December 2020 to Friday 11th December 2020.
According to Nshindano, who previously served as Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) Executive Director, eligible inmates will be registered under the existing points designated as polling stations within a district where a correctional facility is located.
Giving an upgrade on registered votes, Nshindano said the electoral body had made great progress with a total of four million, three hundred and twenty-one, three hundred and ninety one voters (4, 321, 391) having been captured from across Zambia’s ten (10) provinces namely; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Muchinga, Northern, North-Western, Southern and Western.
In the first phase, the ECZ registered 1, 106, 700 voters,
capturing 1, 598, 426 in the second phase and a total of
1, 616, 893 voters in the third phase
“A total of 4, 321, 391 voters have been captured in the three phases,” said an optimistic Nshindano as the electoral body moved closer to the nine (9) million voter target with barely 252 days before the 12th August 2021 Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections.
Nshindano urged people to stop illegal acts as those found wanting will face the wrath of he law and advised citizens to report such inimical acts to the police.
“If they are people is registering under-age and those that are not bonafide citizens to desist from doing so. Those registering young people will be detected by the elaborate ECZ system. I can confirm that we have actually arrested two people and are in custody for attempting to register twice. Those who qualify must be Zambian and in possession of a Green National Registration Card (NRC) and of the required voting age which is 18. As one can obtain a Green NRC at 16 years, that does not qualify one as a voter,” advised Nshindano.
The Chief Electoral Officer promised to pay officers in the field over time and those with outstanding performance will be rewarded for their diligent work.
On finances: a total of K527 million was released out of the estimated K674 million budget to conduct the 2021 election.
