By CIC Editors.
CIC EDITORIAL ANALYSIS.
WHAT IF ECZ DOESN’T EXTEND VOTER REGISTRATION PERIOD IN OPPOSITION STRONGHOLDS?
We refer to the Mobile issuance of NRCs by the Home affairs ministry which disadvantaged Zambezi region (North~Western,Western, Central and Southern province) and highly advantaged the northern block (Muchinga, Eastern, Luapula and Northern province). Up to now the Home Affairs ministry have never issued any statement giving reasons why Northern block provinces found in phase II issued more NRCs compared to Zambezi region provinces in phase I.
We gave a warning that the rigging will not happen in 2021 but it is happening now and the sooner the opposition take keen interest to follow the pattern of affairs the better.
Muchinga province was marked for phase II yet by the time Northwestern province a phase I province was concluding the mobile issuance of NRCs it had almost the same figures then Muchinga had it all again under phase II but nothing like that happened in Southern province , it was marked for phase II until phase II period came Southern province waited patiently. The balancing of time allocation and work out put technically knocked out Southern province as a political determinant factor in case of elections.
More foreigners obtained NRCs in Eastern, Northern, Luapula and Muchinga than any other province in Zambia an indicator that more Zambians if not everyone in Northern block got NRCs.
What started in the Mobile issuance of NRCs has every connection to prolong in voter registration this means a twist to affect even campaign programs especially for the opposition UPND it’s the last thing to do.
When the republican president visited Southern province he was told by the Chiefs that the period be extended in order to capture more people and the president responded in negative saying that it will not be extended, the same republican president visited northern province and he was told the same thing by the Chiefs there and he assured them that the government will engage ECZ over the matter.
The opposition must be very careful and alert because rigging is happening now it’s a long chain process which will be difficult to counter.
SO HOW WILL ECZ EXTEND VOTER REGISTRATION IN NORTHERN BLOCK AND NOT IN ZAMBEZI BLOCK WHEN THE PROCESS IS SUPPOSED TO COVER THE WHOLE COUNTRY?
To answer this question we refer back to the mobile issuance of NRCs the fact we moved on like nothing happened or we didn’t care we are likely to overlook this one too, in fact whoever has no NRC will not get a voters card and then the truth is that there are more people and foreigners combined in Northern block than indigenous Zambians in Zambezi region that in itself tells you how much 2016 opposition strength from Zambezi region has been neutralized.
Another point is that registration of voters is faster and very active in Northern block than it is in Zambezi region.
PF divided the country on political ground in two regions to prepare and manipulate how 2021 elections results should be.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The opposition UPND who are frontier must shift their campaign machinery to the Northern region in high gear while maintaining the drive in Zambezi regions.
SUMMARY
Copperbelt and Lusaka will be high battlefield provinces whom the strong will get them.
Both Mobile issuance of NRCs and voter registration in Lusaka and Copperbelt remains static off grid because these two provinces are deciding factors however UPND seems to be stronger than PF on the Copperbelt security wise than in Lusaka and that has an effect on the output of votes.
CIC PRESS TEAM.