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| Justice Esau Chulu |
By Paul Shalala
Zambia has increased the nomination fee for
the August 11 presidential election by 750% triggering complaints from opposition
parties, aspiring candidates and the civil society.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ)
announced on Thursday that it had increased all nomination fees for this year’s
elections during a stakeholders meeting in Lusaka.
ECZ Chairperson Justice Esau Chulu said the
increase of the presidential nomination fee from K10,000 (US$1,000) to K75,000
(US$7,500) was a preserve of the electoral body.
“Section 21 and 23 of the Electoral Act
number 12 of 2006 refer to the nomination fees that candidates to the office of
the President and National assembly are expected to pay. The nomination fees
are determined by ECZ,” said Justice Chulu.
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| Peter Sinkamba |
He also announced the adjustment of
nomination fees for other elective offices.
“Parliamentary candidates will pay K10,000
(from K5,000), Mayoral candidates will pay K10,000, Council Chairperson
candidates will pay K5,000, Councillor for city and municipal K2,000 (from
K100) while councillor for rural pays K1,500 (from K50),” he added.
This increase has been condemned by various
opposition political parties, civil society activists and people aspiring for
various offices.
Green Party President Peter Sinkamba says
the increase is ridiculous.
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| Allan Sakala |
“Whilst I can afford to pay for my
presidential nomination fees, I find this measure extremely ridiculous because
it bars rural populations from participating in governance systems,” said
Sinkamba who lost the 2015 Presidential election.
His words were echoed by other interested
parties.
Allan Sakala, an aspiring independent
candidate for Munali constituency in Lusaka, has even threatened to sue the electoral
body.
“Guru (Allan Sakala) will be taking the ECZ
to court over the high nomination fees. Politics and leadership can never be
the preserve of the rich and the corrupt,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
And reggae artist Maiko Zulu, who is
aspiring as an independent candidate for Kabwata constituency in Lusaka, has
also complained about the new nomination fees describing them as too high and
unrealistic.
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| Maiko Zulu |
“The revised nomination fees for candidates
for the 2016 general elections are too high and not reflective of the present
economic living conditions of ordinary Zambians. The electoral process seems to
now be a preserve for the rich, thereby commercialising participation of leadership,”
said Zulu.
But the Foundation for Democratic Process
(FODEP), a civil society organisation, says the hike in nomination fees will
result in Zambia having the most expensive ever election this year.
“If these nomination fees are allowed to go
unchallenged, it will be a clear promotion of discrimination and marginalisation
of the poor in the electoral system and process which will be contrary to the
provisions of Article 45 (a) (c) and (d) which tries to ensure that citizens
freely exercise their political rights,” said FODEP executive director
MacDonald Chipenzi.
“The resultant of such a move will make the
2016 general elections the most expensive elections Zambia has ever seen since
independence and will be millionaires’ and educated people’s electoral game,”
he added.
According to the ECZ, candidates will have
to make a 50% down payment of the nomination fees before filing the nomination
papers.
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| MacDonald Chipenzi |
Parliamentary candidates will file their
nomination on 31 May.
Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu is expected
to dissolve Parliament in May to pave way for official campaigns whose period
the ECZ says will run from May 16 to August 10.
Zambia has over six million registered
voters who will be electing a President, 156 Members of Parliament and over 1,
400 Councillors and an unspecified number of Mayors and Council Chairpersons.
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