Extension of voter registration is inevitable

Dear Editor,

THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) conducted the voter registration exercise across the country. It targeted to register nine million voters in one month.

Looking at the slow pace the exercise was moving, the ECZ did not achieve its target. The registration exercise was characterised by some hitches such as inadequate manpower at some registration centres.

When the registration exercise commenced, it used to take too long to register one person although there was quite some remarkable improvement.

The ECZ increased the number of operating hours at the polling stations - the closing time at the polling stations went to 22:00 hours. On the other hand, the voter registration at Civic Centres across the country was 24 hours in a bid to capture as many people as possible.

The voter registration exercise ended on December 12 and was extended for four days. It was hoped that when this is done, the targeted nine million voters would be captured.

To reach the targeted number of voters, there is need for the electoral body to extend the period again and this time intensify sensitisation on the importance of voting. The people who have obtained the national registration cards (NRC) are eligible to register as voters and they should do so.

To crown it all, the extension of the voter registration exercise is inevitable and it is the way to go if the nine million voters are to be registered.