2021 Election Ballot Procurement Update

According to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) senior public relations officer Sylvia Bwalya the ballot procurement process for the 2021 general elections is still underway as the Commission is currently finalizing the appeals process.

Earlier this year the ECZ announced that it does not intend to pay for stakeholders to travel to Dubai in order to verify the ballot papers this time around, as was the case in 2016.

Instead political parties and civil society organisations that wish to verify the process will be expected to foot their own bill, according to Chief Electoral Officer Patrick Nshindano. The ECZ defended the move on the basis of the difficult fiscal environment.

The ballot paper printing was a source of heated dispute during the 2016 polls, following a controversial decision by the ECZ to award the contract for printing the papers to a little-known Dubai-based firm called Al Ghurair.

At a cost of US$3 million some stakeholders also questioned why the printing was not done locally prompting President Lungu to state that in 2021 ballot papers would be printed domestically. However, the recent announcement by the ECZ suggests this may no longer be the case and concerns remain as to whether local printers will be ready for the job.

Bwalya has indicated that the procurement process is expected to conclude shortly. She also confirmed that work is underway on a pre-voter registration online system as the Commission seeks to add nine million new voters to the roll before the 2021 polls.

Ballot papers have been printed in the country on previous occasions, including the 1991 elections in which the movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) ousted the United National Independence Party (UNIP).