Prisoner voter registration exercise begins

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THE Electoral Commission of Zambia and National Registration and Passport office have set up base at correctional facilities around the country to issue NRCs and voters cards respectively to prisoners.

At Lusaka Central Correctional Facility, a number of inmates turned up to registered as voters.

The facility has 1,224 male inmates and 603 female ones ready to obtain NRCs to allow them to register as voters.

The ECZ has targeted to register about 16,000 eligible inmates across the country.

In a statement, ECZ public relations Bwalya said the commission has taken note of concerns raised by some stakeholders on registering persons in lawful custody.

She clarified that the registration of prisoners as voters was not a decision of the commission, but a judgment by the Constitutional Court which ruled in the case of Godfrey Malembeka vs the Attorney General and the Electoral Commission of Zambia.

She explained that the commission was only obliged to implement the judgment to enable prisoners to vote.

©Kalemba December 09, 2020

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