By SYLVESTER MWALE –
THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) says the verification of the ballot papers for this month’s presidential elections will start today after the arrival from South Africa on Friday ahead of the polls on January 20.
ECZ public relations manager Cris Akufuna said the ballots arrived at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka shortly before midnight on Friday on a chartered Ethiopian Airways plane.
Representatives from some participating political parties including the ruling Patriotic Front (PF), the MMD, Fourth Revolution and the Green

. Mambilima

Party joined ECZ chairperson Irene Mambilima and other officials in receiving the election materials.
The voting materials were later driven to Silverest Warehouse where representatives of participating parties and major stakeholders would inspect them before onward transportation to districts.
Two representatives from each of the 11 participating political parties have been accredited by the commission to witness the verification process.
Mr Akufuna told the Sunday Times that only accredited representatives would able to inspect the voting materials at the warehouse.
He said the verification process would be done province by province before the election materials were transported to districts in readiness for the polls.
The ballot papers were initially scheduled to arrive from Johannesburg at 14.45 hours but ECZ had to adjust the arrival time twice.
The process of printing ballot papers by Ren-Form Printing Solutions was witnessed by all stakeholders, including political party representatives, the church, the media and civil society organisations.