‘ECZ Did Not Consult Us On Prison Voting’ - UPND

The UPND’s Lusaka Province Chairman Obvious Mwaliteta has condemned the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) after the commission decided to allow prisoners to vote in next year’s general elections without consulting relevant stakeholders.

Having walked out of a meeting on prison voting yesterday afternoon, Mr Mwaliteta said there were a lot of issues that remained unclear on how the ECZ planned to allow prisoners to vote, particularly with regards to how political parties could campaign in prisons.

Mr Mwaliteta pointed to an obvious advantage for the PF in allowing prisoners to vote, since President Lungu is responsible for appointing the head of the prison system in Zambia.

“We are not saying that we are opposed to inmates voting in the 2021 elections, but what we are against is them (ECZ) giving us an example that in South Africa it is happening. It can’t work in Zambia because in South Africa the people who appoint the Commission General of Prisons is not the President,” he said.

“If political parties are not allowed to go and campaign in Chimbokaila, then we are not going to have a polling agent because we need to have a polling agent inside. But, also, suppose the Commissioner-General of the Zambia Correctional Services is given specific instructions by the appointing authority, how are we going to monitor our votes?” asked Mwaliteta,” he added. 

Mr Mwaliteta’s comments follow the verdict of the constitutional court to allow prisoners to vote after the case of Godfrey Malembeka (Prisons Care and Counselling Association- PRISCA) vs Attorney General and ECZ. 

The Lusaka Province chair called on the ECZ to serve the interests of all Zambians and ensure fair elections were upheld next year.