By NAMO PHIRI
THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) it is proactively consolidating information on elections which need cancellation in areas where candidates have either died or withdrawn from the race in order to come with the right course of action, ECZ Public Relations Manager Patricia Luhanga has said
Mr Luhanga said the commission had provided guidelines that will be announced once all the processes were exhausted.
She said with regard Monze Central constituency, the commission had not received formal communication of withdraw by any candidate.
Ms. Luhanga said that there are other areas apart from Monze Central where candidates have either died or resigned but the commission had not yet taken any action on any area as they were still gathering information as required in order for them to take the right action.
She said ECZ through district electoral officers in different districts is working to ensure that they proactively engage candidates of the political parties in order to come up with a position which the commission will announce accordingly.
“There are other places where we have heard of deaths and resignations and our district electoral officers in these areas are now gathering information where these cases have risen” said Ms. Luhanga
She said the commission will act accordingly once all the information is consolidated.
Ms. Luhanga said the commission can only take action after they have received formal communication from a candidate or political party, until then nothing can be done.
She said even after the commission has been communicated formally, they still have to follow certain procedures that have been laid down in order to ensure that by the time ECZ is announcing that there will be fresh nominations or not, the commission is on firm grounds.
Ms. Luhanga said the commission has not announced any cause of action in any of the other affected areas apart from Monze Central from the time they talked about Lusaka Central and Mandevu constituencies because they have to follow a certain process and they will communicate on the next course of action once all the processes are exhausted.
