By THANDIWE MOYO –

THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has described as erroneous online media reports suggesting that inspection of the voters’ register will be conducted from April 17 to 24, 2016 and that the total number of voters is 3.3 million.
ECZ public relations manager Crispin Akufuna said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that the correct position was that inspection of the voters’ register would be conducted from May 15 to 21, 2016 in all the 7,700 registration centres (polling stations) countrywide.
Mr Akufuna said contrary to assertions by Zambia Reports, the number of newly-registered voters captured during the voter registration exercise from September 14, 2015 to February 29, 2016 was 1,695,580.
Mr Akufuna, however, said that number was provisional and might change after the ongoing cleaning-up and inspection of the provisional register of voters from May 15 to 21, 2016.
He also said that registered voters would be allowed to inspect the register during that period and ensure that their particulars were correct.
Mr Akufuna further said the Commission recorded 1,634,288 voters who were transferred from one polling station to another or replaced their voters cards or made changes to their particulars in the register.
“These were voters who are on the register of voters but needed to update the register. The total number of registered voters on the provisional register of voters will be confirmed before the commencement of the inspection of the voters’ register.
“The current register of voters has 5,166,088 persons and the Commission had targeted to increase this figure to 6,866,088 voters,” he said.
Mr Akufuna also challenged the United Party for National Development (UPND) to provide evidence indicating that the Commission would disenfranchise some of the opposition party’s prospective voters during the inspection period.