Transparency International Concerned About “Suspicious Activities” At Totalling Stations

Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) has issued a statement saying it is concerned by reports from election monitors that officials are attempting to manipulate the process of counting votes at constituency totalling centres. 

The anti-corruption agency said it had received intel that returning officers in North Western and Luapula Provinces were asking monitors to leave the totalling centres and return in the morning to check the verified totals.

Transparency’s Executive Director Maurice Nyambe said this was “not in line” with electoral procedures and “must not be allowed to happen”. 

He said the fact that reports were coming in from different parts of the country made the matter “particularly concerning”. 

TI-Z have therefore called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), party agents, observers and monitors to address the situation quickly in order to guarantee the credibility of the country’s elections. 

The statement follows a row over results not being properly verified between the ECZ and party agents from the United Party for National Development (UPND).

Earlier this afternoon, UPND agents interrupted ECZ staff as they attempted to announce some results live on television, arguing that the figures had not been properly verified. Party agents then marched out of the auditorium for a meeting with electoral officials.

The UPND’s chairman for elections Garry Nkombo later explained that the commission had jumped the gun in announcing results that were still pending approval from election officials. He produced a copy of the results to evidence his claims, pointing out the words ‘pending approval’. 

“We want to tell the ECZ that this is a people’s process. Not theirs,” he complained.