Africa-Press – Zambia. The Civil society Organisation’s (CSO’s) have launched an election report which has revealed that the recently held August 12, 2021 general elections were eventful and historical.
Swedish Ambassador to Zambia, Anna-Maj Hultgård pointed out that the country had an intense pre-election environment filled with shrinking space and freedoms for CSOs and those with divergent views, and incidents of violence between supporters of opposition political parties in various localities.
Ambassador Hultgård added that disinformation and hate speech in the media, unequal application of laws that limited the opposition political party’s ability to campaign equally, with restrictions on campaigning for the opposition parties due to COVID-19.
Ambassador Hultgård observed that even against such an uneven level playing field, she was impressed and moved by the dedication of Zambians who still went out in huge numbers to exercise their democratic right to vote.
She also mentioned the announcement of the winner and concession by the then incumbent leader marked an impressive third smooth transition of power in Zambian history. Ambassador Hultgård said this cemented the country’s reputation as being a beacon of peace and democracy in the region and beyond.
“Despite these challenges and in the middle of a global pandemic, Zambians turned out to vote in large numbers, with many waiting in long queues for hours to ensure they cast their vote and make their voices heard,” Ambassador Hultgård.
She praised the valuable role of the young people, who followed the process till the voting day, coined the election process revolutionary. Ambassador Hultgård said the Embassy also applauds the coordinated approach by the CSO’s and partners assuring to continue supporting and facilitating such coordinated efforts.
ActionAid Zambia Country Director Nalucha Ziba said the election report, was in relation to Zambia’s democratic governance space towards the important role of young people in the electoral process. Ms Ziba said this included the various activities and events that led up to the successful elections and peaceful transfer of power.
She revealed that the CSOs noted from the experience that the importance of public participation in electoral participation as records had shown a registration of seven million Zambians who registered to vote at various polling stations.
Ms Ziba stressed the need for Civil Society Organisations to continue protecting and expanding political space for likeminded CSOs to participate in democratic decision making, to influence and hold the government and corporates accountable.
She said peacebuilding and electoral monitoring will continue to play a major role in ensuring that citizens fully understand their voting rights and democratic power and mandate to choose leaders that they know will deliver on their social and economic services.
“As ActionAid Zambia, one of our priority areas of focus is civic participation and state accountability and in order for us to achieve a just, equitable and sustainable Zambia for every person to enjoy the right to a life of dignity, we recognized the need for voters’ participation in this year’s elections,” Ms. Ziba stated.
The report has recommendations for improvement in Zambia’s electoral processes including a betterment of advocacy strategies that CSO’s can take up to further consolidate the gains of their dedicated work in governance. It also includes the need to provide an equal opportunity for various political parties to engage with the public, among other recommendations.
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