Let’s print ballots locally-Chipenzi
THE continued printing of ballot papers for local government by-elections in Dubai goes contrary to the desire President Edgar Lungu and his government to have these electoral materials done locally, says Electoral Expert McDonald Chipenzi
In a statement released to the Daily Nation yesterday, Mr Chipenzi said It was disheartening to observe and hear that ballot papers arrived today (yesterday) from Dubai for the forthcoming local government by-elections. ‘This means that ballot paper printing has contin- ued to be done abroad despite calls by some stakeholders to have them done locally or in nearby countries like South Africa. ‘It would have been ideal for the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to use the local government by-elections to pre-test the local printers’ capacities, competencies and abilities to undertake ballot printing and also build public and stakeholders confidence in the local printers to print the 2021 General Elections ballot papers’ said Mr Chipenzi.
He said the pre-testing of ballot paper printing locally now will help the ECZ make an informed decision when the right time comes on whether or not to award the ballot papers printing tender to local printers or not ahead of the 2021.
‘Unless the insistence by President Lungu and his government to have the ballots printed within is just lip-service and mere rhetoric, the continued printing of ballot papers in Dubai by the Commission is uncalled for, at least in as far as local government by-elections are concerned’
‘It must be appreciated that those who have opposed the printing of ballot papers from within have not opposed the pre-testing of the “Local Ballot Paper Printing” concept during by-elections but are uncertain about how a serious election like 2021 general elections will be used as a pilot project in terms of ballot paper printing in-country’ he said.
He appealed to the ECZ to ensure that future parliamentary and local by-elections ballot papers printing should be done locally to ascertain the country and the Commission’s readiness to diligently carry out such an undertaking ahead of the 2021 general elections.