NEW AMENDMENT TO THE ELECTORAL PROCESS ACT UNDER ELECTORAL PROCESS AMENDMENT BILL N0. 30 0F 2021
Amendment 7 proposes that Section 89(1) of the principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following new paragraph immediately after paragraph (n): that it will be criminal, “without lawful authority announce and declare the results of an election.”
Where does this put the media which get the official results announced by the presiding officers and does these results being talked about official or unofficial results?
Does it mean that the media will now have to get permission from ECZ to disseminate those results pasted on the doors of various polling stations?
Isn’t this gagging the media and other stakeholders in the electoral process and also blocking access to real-time electoral information by the public during elections which can breed suspicions, propaganda and speculations?
The ECZ and govt should be afraid sharing, announcing and declarating electoral results officially announced by the presiding officers?
The ECZ and govt’s main fear or worry must be anchored on anyone declaring a winner and those self-declared winners not the announcement and declaration of results already declared by presiding officers.
It must be a source of worry how institutions and govt are conniving to gag and criminalise public access to information, sharing and flow ahead of the August 12 General Election…
It started with the Cyber Security and Crimes Bill No 2 of 2021 with its intention to intercept, monitor any communication, conversations and correspondence from private individuals to Electoral Process amendmet Bill No. 30 of 2021 with its intention to criminalise announcement and declaration of electoral results.
Our correctional facilities must be ready to accommodate more possible offenders before, during and after elections.
I submit
Chipenzi