By HOPE BWALYA –
THE Christian Churches Monitoring Group (CCMG) has urged all electoral stakeholders to enhance their efforts towards voter education.
CCMG spokesperson Cleophas Lungu said it was important that the public got proper voter education so as to enable them vote wisely.
Father Lungu said in a statement yesterday that voter education was key to enabling the public vote for what they would want to see and experience after the 2016 general elections.
He said the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) played an important role in the voter education process and hence it was important for them to enhance education.
“CCMG recommends that voter education starts early given that there are new issues in the electoral process due to the amendment of the Constitution. CCMG would like to urge ECZ to continue working with the same openness and inclusiveness it has exhibited in the electoral process thus far,” he said.
The CCMG in its report issued between April 12, and May 3, 2016, observed that about 32 per cent of districts had heard or witnessed that ECZ was informing people about voter education.
While in about 68 per cent of districts, CCMG observers could not establish if voter education was carried out by ECZ.
Fr Lungu said political parties should desist from violent acts during the whole electoral process and uphold the resolutions adopted during the stakeholders meeting on political violence.
He said the decision to desist from violence would be seen to be credible and dependable by the people of Zambia.
Fr Lungu said it was important for all citizens who were eligible voters to participate in the electoral process which would enable them contribute towards better governance of the country.