Zambia elections - lessons for Zimbabwe
By Zimbabwe Election Support Network
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network sent a 15 member mission to observe Zambia‘s tripartite elections held
on the 20th of September 2011. The objectives of the mission were multifaceted and included; to observe the
Zambia’s electoral processes, to explore and understand civil society initiatives within and around the electoral
process. Lastly, the mission sought to glean lessons and insights to inform Zimbabweans as we prepare for the
referendum and the general elections in the future.
Biometric Voters Roll
Zambia uses a polling station based voters roll with each polling stream having a separate biometric voters
register. On average the number of voters registered and voting in each polling stream did not exceed 850
which made the voting and counting process more efficient. The voters roll includes names of people who have
been removed from the register and reasons for removal which in some cases were duplications, death and
change of residence. Such information made for increased transparency and inclusivity and provided for a voters
roll which is complete, comprehensive and up to date.
Peace campaigns
The mission observed that there was a deliberate effort to have a peaceful election and this was evidenced from
the many calls for peace from the youths, eminent persons such as the former president of Zambia, Dr Kenneth
Kaunda. While the atmosphere was peaceful there were undertones of tension and suspicion of electoral
irregularities which marred almost peaceful electoral campaigns. Peace campaigns mainly targeted the youths
who similar to Zimbabwe have been used as instruments of violence. The peaceful atmosphere provided room
for political parties to campaign though some incidents of violence were experienced during the campaign phase.
People living with disability
While the ECZ made efforts ensure inclusion of People Living with Disability (PWDs) in electoral processes
through the provision of a tactile ballot paper for the visually impaired, this was only limited to the presidential
ballot and not to house of assembly and local government. It is also commendable to note that news
broadcasters had a sign language interpreter for hearing impaired as they aired the news. This increased
inclusivity and reduced marginalisation. However there was need to do more to include the vote of PWDs, such
as voter education and improving accessibility of polling stations.
Conflict resolution mechanisms
The Electoral Commission of Zambia took a proactive role in dealing with conflicts that are inevitable in electoral
politics. A pocket sized manual was published to provide information to citizens and political parties on the
mechanisms for resolving electoral conflicts that may arise. This meant that the commission acknowledged the
presence of conflicts and also sought to find ways to resolve them amicably. In addition, a code of conduct
signed by political parties was publicised and it was justiciable which reduced impunity.
The role of the security sector in electoral processes
The role of the security sector is defined and the mission observed that the police were trained on their mandate
by the commission before the election and were able to stay within their mandate. The role of the security sector
was to maintain peace and order as well as secure the election and citizens. The role of the military and police
remained apolitical and restricted to law and order.