Observers express concern about election

International observers monitoring the run-up to elections in Zambia later this month have expressed concern that voter apathy and their "disenfranchisement" could effect the democratic process. Zambians are scheduled to go to the polls on 27 December to elect a new president, members of parliament, and local officials. European Union chief elections observer, Michael Meadowcroft, told the independent Zambian Post on Tuesday that the requirement to make two visits to a registration centre to obtain a voter's card prevented many people from registering. "The process through which voters register and then obtain their voter's card is very demanding of the voter," he was quoted as saying. Meadowcroft said that many of the reasons given for the low turn out of eligible voters to register could have been avoided. In a pre-election report released last week, the Carter Centre expressed its concerns about the low level of participation, a widespread perception over the alleged misuse of state resources, and the unequal access to broadcast media. The report was based on the accounts of the Carter's Centre's long-term observers who have been deployed to all nine provinces and 47 of the 72 districts centres. The report said that the electorate demonstrated a "high level of discontent, mistrust and scepticism" towards the government, which was "manifested in the equally high levels of voter apathy". "The lack of decision-making transparency on the part of the ECZ [Election Commission of Zambia] has contributed to these feelings of discontent. Voter apathy is a serious concern and the overall mood if the electorate appears not conducive to ensuring a fully democratic environment," the Centre warned. It added that the government and the ECZ appeared to use the apathy as an excuse to "validate limits on stakeholders' participation in the electoral process or their failure to take corrective measures to improve processes". According to the report, the "disenfranchisement" of voters was likely to have an important effect on this year's election. "A relatively small number of Zambians will be voting in this year's tripartite election. It is alarming that according to the ECZ only 2.6 million citizens out of an eligible 4.6 million citizens are registered to vote and that only 3.06 million citizens over the age of 16 have a National Registration Card (NRC) which is a prerequisite to vote in Zambia," it said. "The fact that no provision were put in place to address the issue of the NRC as a barrier to registration is equally disturbing. It is common knowledge that the majority of citizens who are of age to vote will not qualify because they do not possess a NRC," the report added. The US-based Carter Center argued that "more serious" efforts should have been made on the part of government and election authorities to identify other provisions for registration. It also expressed concern about the transparency with regard to political party finances and said that the lack of transparency also "exacerbated" voter apathy and mistrust in government. Despite the problems cited, the report said that "overall preparations" for the 27 December poll was "proceeding satisfactorily". It said that it would like to "commend" the ECZ for taking the initiative to establish conflict management committees. It also said that it was "encouraging" to see that the ECZ and the Zambia National Broadcast Corporation have been televising one-on-one interviews with presidential candidates. Zambia returned to a plural political system in 1991 when President Frederick Chiluba and his Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) won a landslide election. In 1996, elections were marred by an opposition boycott over a constitutional amendment that banned some presidential candidates. The MMD is expected to face a stiff challenge at the ballot box this month from dissident members, who quit the party over Chiluba's attempt to again change the constitution to allow him to stand for a third term.