50 political rogue parties face chop

OUT of 65 registered political parties in the country, only 15 have complied with the law, the Ministry of Home Affairs has said.

The ministry’s public relations officer, Mr Nephas Chifuta, said that 50 political parties risked being deregistered because of their failure to submit annual returns to the Registrar of Societies.

Mr Chifuta said in an interview that only 50 political parties were up to date with meeting the yearly requirements, including submission of annual returns.

“Some political parties and other registered societies risk deregistration if they do not submit their annual returns by March 31, 2021. Currently, we have in our data base 65 registered political parties and only 15 are up to date with meeting the yearly requirements,” Mr Chifuta said.

He disclosed that the Registrar of Societies was compiling a list of all defaulting political parties and other societies which would soon be published in the media.

Meanwhile, Mr Chifuta said that all the services under the Office of the Registrar of Societies can now be accessed on-line, through the Government Service Bus (GSB) platform.

“This implies that registration of all societies which include; religious organisations, political parties, community-based organisations and many more can now be accessed online from all the provinces,” he said.

Mr Chifuta said consultations could be done at all provincial and district National Registration Offices with the on-line processes.

He added that individuals who may still continue experiencing challenges in accessing on-line services should get in touch with the national office in Lusaka for assistance.

Mr Chifuta announced that the planned sensitisation meeting for all registered political parties in view of the pending 2021 elections will not take place due to a spike in Covid-19 cases.