STOP THE ALARM!

By Kalobwe Bwalya

IT is not true that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) is registering foreigners from neighbouring countries such as Malawi, Mozambique, and Angola, the Commission has said.

 ECZ spokesperson Patricia Luhanga said there were requirements that one needed to have in order to qualify as a voter in Zambia and other countries and that no two countries could alternatively register each other’s citizens, making such claims baseless.

In an interview Ms. Luhanga said one had to have a green National Registration Card (NRC) and be 18 years of age and above for them to qualify to register as a voter in Zambia and wondered where the said foreigners were getting the green NRCs for them to be registered to vote in Zambia.

She said it was not possible that ECZ could start registering other nationals and wondered what criteria could be used to register foreigners.

She advised the general public to stop issuing alarming statements to the public as that could be the recipe of anarchy in the country.

“It is not true that ECZ has embarked on registering foreigners in preparation for the coming general elections 2026. Let those making such claims substantiate their claims by giving us proof,” Ms. Luhanga said.

The opposition were claiming that the electoral body was allegedly registering voters that were not eligible and believed to be coming from neighbouring countries.