THE ECZ is ready to conduct this year’s elections because they have
already set a date when they will come up with a final voters’
register, says AVAP.

In an interview, Anti-Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) Northern Province
coordinator, Kelly Kashiwa said President Banda should go ahead and
announce the election date and not hide behind the Electoral
Commission of Zambia (ECZ).

“The ECZ is ready because already we know that we are going to have
the final voters’ register by July 31, and this is the reason why the
institution discontinued the voter verification exercise because they
didn’t want to miss the set date for preparing of the voter register.
For me this is proof enough of their readiness,” Kashiwa said.

Kashiwa wondered which other logistics the ECZ had not put in place
for President Banda to delay in announcing the election date.

“Right now as we are talking, the ECZ has started deploying people who
will do the voter education and this goes to show that we are moving
in the right direction and all we are waiting for is the election
date,” he said.

Kashiwa said it was important for President Banda to announce the
election date so as to prepare all the stakeholders in the electoral
process.

And Kashiwa said AVAP was in the process of identifying election
monitors, adding that the organisation in Northern Province would soon
call for a meeting where they would develop the electoral road map.

Special assistant to the president for press and public relations
Dickson Jere last week said President Banda would announce the
election date after all the logistics by the ECZ had been completed.

[The Post]

AVAP Executive Director Bonny Tembo says the decision taken by the former head of state to attend both gatherings is a true sign that he is a non-partisan father of the nation beyond political affiliation.

Mr. Tembo told  QFM that the leadership exhibited by the first republican president should be emulated by other leaders in the country.

He has urged Dr. Kaunda to extend his noble gesture and attend other conventions that will be organized by other political parties in the country.

Mr. Tembo has since appealed to Dr. Kaunda to continue playing an advisory role and not to endorse any leader of a political party in this year's general election.