Zambian Faith, Civil Societies Urge Government to Provide Clarity on Electoral Reforms

Lusaka, 28 July, 2023 / 9:25 PM

Church leaders under the auspices of the Christian Churches Monitoring Group (CCMG) in Zambia are among Faith-Based (FBOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)  calling on the government to provide clarity on constitutional and electoral law reforms. 

In a statement shared with ACI Africa Thursday, July 27, they say there has been no engagement with stakeholders in the country despite President Hakainde Hichilema speaking about the reforms on several occasions.

“We urge the government to provide a clear roadmap and expedite the process of reforming the Constitution and electoral laws related to the conduct and management of elections,” say the FBO and CSO officials.  

They say Zambia’s government “should urgently engage all stakeholders in the development of a roadmap and build consensus on the reform approach.”

“We … believe that the pronouncements by the President are clear, however, we are disappointed on how the responsible institutions and Ministries are dealing with reforms,” they say.

According to the CSOs, there has been “little to no engagement” with stakeholders in coming up with the reforms.

They say that while Zambia’s Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP) envisages 2024 and 2025 as the time for electoral and constitutional reforms, “the government must begin engaging stakeholders now in a meaningful and transparent manner.”

8NDP sets out the southern African nation’s development priorities, strategic direction, and implementation strategies for 2022 to 2026.

The FB and CSO leaders call on the government to take advantage of the 2024 budgetary process to provide for the reforms in next year’s budget.

They say that by providing for the reforms in the budget, the government will be demonstrating commitment to the reform agenda “and not rhetoric as has previously been the case.”