Africa-Press – Zambia. THE Electoral Commission of Zambia is wondering why people are worried that they would rig elections when all past commissions where the opposition emerged victorious were appointed by the ruling party.
The Commission is also calling on political parties to tame their appetite for violence.
The Commission further says it will continue to prioritise openness as the 2026 elections approach.
Speaking during the Anti-Corruption Commission Conference, organised by Transparency International Zambia, Tuesday, ECZ Commissioner McDonald Chipenzi said history had demonstrated that ruling parties lost elections despite being responsible for appointing the commissioners.
“I’ve got a bit of experience in elections for some time, and I have also studied electoral management bodies not only in Africa but across the globe. One thing that is very clear for Zambia, by now we would have transcended those fears, we would have actually put them behind us because in 1991, the commission that handled the elections was appointed by Kenneth Kaunda and it was under the office of the Vice-President, but KK lost the elections by a big margin, yet he’s the one who appointed the commission. In 2011, again we had a commission that was appointed by the ruling party, and when the elections came, I believe there were also those fears that the commission was going to rig, but you saw the results, the opposition won the elections,” Chipenzi said.
“In 2021, the commission that managed the elections was appointed by the ruling party, and what were the results after the elections? So, by now, do we still have to fear the five commissioners that they can manufacture votes to upset the will of the people? From 1991 to date, how many years have passed for us to continue crying and fearing that the commission can change results that people have put in? We have to interrogate that. I was in Malawi recently, the commission there was appointed by the ruling party, and you saw the results. In Liberia, the same happened after the commission was appointed by the ruling party. So you can see the trend. Countries that are led by liberation movements, change has not been easy, but the multiparty countries like Zambia and Malawi, it’s different”.
Chipenzi called on political parties to tame their appetite for violence, saying they should learn to coexist.
He was responding to a question of whether or not the commission was independent enough to suspend an election because of violence.
“Be assured that where the conditions are indeed ripe to suspend a by-election, the commission will suspend a by-election because it’s governed by law. So what happened in Petauke, if it was just one polling station out of 100, it’s either you suspend the election at that polling station, but if it’s widespread violence, then you suspend the by-election in the whole constituency. Violence is really a bad vice, but again it’s not perpetuated by ECZ, it is political violence. It’s caused by politicians themselves. So we need to start managing our politics, why can’t we deal with issues, why can’t we coexist? The electoral process has had violence not because it was caused by the Electoral Commission, it has been caused by stakeholders, especially political parties. Let’s tame our appetite to cause violence,” Chipenzi said.
He however said it was not only the duty of the commission to deal with violence, but said it was the responsibility of law enforcement agencies.
“On political violence, I was in Lavushimanda, and the issue is that when there is violence, it’s a criminal issue, and criminality is to be fought by police. We have police officers, so if there’s any weakness, it’s not from the commission’s point, it’s from the law enforcement point of view. Just like we are talking about corruption, the commission will put the laws, they will tell you that these things are there, the law enforcement agencies have to move in,” Chipenzi said.
Chipenzi admitted that the commission was lagging on sensitisation during voter registration, assuring that they would improve as the country heads to the 2026 elections.
“On voter sensitisation, we agree that we may not have used the songs, but I believe that as we get into the election, this issue will be considered. By the time the commission was considering hiring the musicians, it was too late. We were going towards the end of the registration exercise. But I agree that music is one of the elements that can help sensitise the voters to register or indeed to vote. So you will see the change as we get there,” he said.
He also urged stakeholders to follow keenly what the commission was doing so that they wouldn’t accuse them of rigging.
“For us, from the Electoral Commission of Zambia, I think this theme, ‘Collaborative Actions for Integrity and Transparency in Elections,’ means working closely with all stakeholders, political parties, civil society, the media and the public to strengthen the confidence in the electoral process. As we head towards the 2026 general elections, our assurance is simple: we will continue to prioritise openness, timely communication and inclusive engagement. I think if we are to be honest enough, the Commission has been very open for those who would want to get the real information. But for those who would want to thrive on disinformation and misinformation, they have gotten what they would want to get from somewhere else. We have always said we are an open institution,” said Chipenzi.
“If you recall, at one time, the Commission had stopped monitoring voter registration. If you remember, those who were in the civil society at that time, we battled that issue. Today, you are able to go to any registration centre and observe what is going on so that you are able to pick up whatever you want to pick up and be able to share with the public. The elections itself, by-elections, we have opened it up as it has been to everyone, including political parties that want to observe. So that to us is what we want to see. Because you cannot run an election alone. When we are talking about integrity, we are talking about the involvement of every stakeholder. Especially those who are key primary stakeholders, political parties, civil society, the media. Come and see what is happening so that when you say the elections have been rigged, you have evidence”.
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