Commonwealth Observer Group publishes final report on Zambia’s 2021 elections

BARD AI · 2022-10-07T08:15:32+00:00

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) to Zambia released its final report on the 2021 general elections, which saw Hakainde Hichilema become the country’s seventh President. The 14-member delegation, led by the former President of Tanzania, H.E. Dr Jakaya Kikwete, concluded that despite some challenges, including those posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) was well prepared for election day and that the election, as a whole, was largely peaceful, credible, transparent, and inclusive. Deployed across nine provinces of the country, the Group commended voters for turning out in significant numbers on election day to exercise their democratic rights. They congratulated the ECZ, polling staff, political parties and their leaders, the Coalition for Peaceful Elections in Zambia (CPEZ), the media, and security forces for their respective roles in holding peaceful elections and ensuring a peaceful transition. They particularly noted the commendable home-grown peace initiatives by the CPEZ that brought together the political leaders to sign a peace pledge in which they reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful elections. The final report, which has been officially conveyed to the Government of Zambia and distributed to relevant stakeholders, builds on the findings of the preliminary statement that was issued shortly after the elections in August 2021 and provides a comprehensive assessment of the entire electoral process, before, during, and after the polls. The report offers concrete recommendations on electoral reforms for consideration by authorities on practical ways in which the country could improve future elections in areas such as the participation of women, youth, and people with disabilities; the electoral framework and administration; pre-election campaigns; election administration; the role of the media; and the voting, counting and results-management processes. Recalling recommendations made by the 2016 COG with regard to strengthening the participation and representation of women, the Group called upon the government to introduce mandatory quotas and adopt appropriate legislative measures to promote gender-balanced political representation. The Group noted that measures should be taken to ensure that persons with disabilities are able to participate fully in the electoral cycle. And while commending the changes in the law to allow the participation of prisoners in the polls for the first time in the country’s history, the group recommended that it should be refined to accommodate specific situations where a prisoner has been released or transferred before election day. The Group also recommended strengthening the regulation of funding for political parties and the training of polling officials to iron out some of the inconsistencies in the execution of their duties. The Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, said: “As is customary Commonwealth practice, the final report of the Group was finalised in Zambia before the Group’s departure. Throughout the mission, they were supported by dedicated staff from the Commonwealth Secretariat led by Professor Luis Franceschi, Senior Director of the Governance and Peace Directorate.” In the months ahead, the Commonwealth Secretariat intends to undertake another follow-up visit to meet with stakeholders on the implementation of the observer recommendations. -- Thecommonwealth.org--

Thread starter BARD AI
Start date Oct 7, 2022
Tags

commonwealth elections final report group observer on zambia’s publishes report

BARD AI

JamiiForums uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.

Accept Learn more…

Back

Top Bottom

Forums

New posts

Commonwealth Observer Group publishes final report on Zambia’s 2021 elections

BARD AI

JF-Expert Member

Our Community

Regional Communities