Chama booed at ECZ gathering

Davies Chama

Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general Davis Chama was this afternoon booed by stakeholders that had gathered  at the Mulungushi International Conference Center for a stakeholders meeting organized by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) for interjecting UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema during the deliberations.

This was when the opposition leader raised a concern with the commission chairperson’s remarks regarding the nomination fees for the presidential, parliamentary and local government elections, a move that prompted the PF party boss to react amidst booing from the stakeholders with some telling him to “shut up”.

It had to take ECZ public relations manager Chris Akufuna to calm the situation down.

Meanwhile, ECZ chairperson Justice Esau Chulu  has announced that the nomination fees for a presidential candidate has been pegged at K75 000. While those standing as parliamentary candidates will pay a sum of K10,000, along with the position of a mayor.

“Section 21 and 23 of the electoral Act No.12 of 2016 refer to the nomination fees that the candidate’s to the office of the president and the national Assembly is expected to pay. The nomination fees are determined by the electoral commission of Zambia. Currently presidential candidates pay ten thousand kwacha (K10,000) parliamentary candidates pay five hundred kwacha (K500) and local governmental candidates pay between fifty kwacha and one hundred kwacha (K100),” he noted

Justice Chulu explained that the total cost incurred by the commission per presidential candidate is k288, 860, adding that if there are ten presidential candidates like during the 2011 tripartite elections, the commission would spend k2, 888,600 on presidential election

He indicated that in view of the change in nomination fees, a candidate is required to make a 50% non-refundable down payment for them to be included in the nomination calendar.

And during the meeting, stakeholders raised concerns about some proposals that the electoral commission had made in line with submissions that the parties represented tabled before them.

Among the concerns raised was the issue of the grade 12 certificate which indicates that for person intending to stand should have a minimum of a grade 12 certificate, a matter that was unclear to many due to the use of “minimum” and further required clarification from the ministry of education on what a minimum grade 12 certificate states under the ministry of education.

About 22 political were represented at the stakeholder’s meeting.