ECZ Hikes Election Fees

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has announced plans to increase nomination fees for candidates wishing to participate in the 2021 general elections.

The new fees are a significant increase on the previous figures, but come at reduced rates for women, youth and those with disabilities in a bid to boost participation of these groups.

Male presidential candidates will have to pay K150,000 to participate, up from K60,000. Meanwhile, female candidates will be charged K120,000, also up from K60,000.

Parliamentary candidates must pay K25,000 up from K7,500. However, women, youths and persons with disabilities have a reduced rate of K20,000. Increases have also been introduced for mayoral and council chairperson candidates, as well as at the ward level.

The increases are subject to approval following a meeting between the ECZ and its stakeholders.

Earlier this year in a bid to cut costs the ECZ announced that it does not intend to pay for stakeholders to travel to Dubai in order to verify the ballot papers in 2021, as was the case in 2016.

Instead political parties and civil society organisations that wish to verify the process will have to foot their own bill. 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.