Competence, Integrity among Criteria Zambia Churches Want for New Electoral Commissioners

The short-listing and selection process, they further say, needs to be transparent and to involve “key stakeholders … including public interviews conducted by an independent body, similar to practices in South Africa and Namibia.”

In the appointment process, CCMG officials say, gender balance needs to be considered.

Putting into consideration gender balance “will reflect the Constitution's commitment to gender equality,” say officials of the independent election observer group that was founded in 2015.

In the statement, CCGM officials who include representatives of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) and the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) also call on the government to make the strategies part of the Electoral Laws. 

“We call on the government to go beyond implementation of these recommendations for the current vacant positions and amend the Electoral Commission of Zambia Act No. 25 of 2016 (as amended in 2019) to include under Section 5 the listed recommendations in order to promote transparency and inclusivity in the appointment process,” they say. 

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The church officials say that having a legal framework around the strategies will go a long way in enhancing the independence of the ECZ as an institution and strengthen Zambia’s democracy.

CCMG comprises four Christian forums, which include ZCCB, JCTR, the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ). 

Besides playing the role of elections observers, CCMG aims at strengthening democratic electoral processes and encouraging participation of citizens in elections through civic and voter education.

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.