ECZ denies pressuring returning officer

By CLEOPATRA NANKONDE

THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has said it did not instruct the Returning Officer in the Chawama Parliamentary by-election in which the officer was captured disclosing that he had been instructed not to announce the results by the authority he did not name after tallying had been completed.
Brown Kasaro says at no point did the ECZ instruct the Returning Officer in the Chawama by-election not to announce the final results, explaining that Returning Officers are guided by the Electoral Act and Regulations, which clearly provide for the declaration of results after the completion of tallying process.
Concerns have been raised over the independence of the ECZ following the Chawama parliamentary by-election, after a video went viral showing a Returning Officer claiming he was ordered not to announce the results.Former Kasenengwa Member of Parliament, Sensio Banda has described the incident as a serious attack on the will of the people and the independence of the Commission to deliver a free, fair and credible election.
“Who had the authority to issue instructions and orders to the Returning Officer not to announce results when the ECZ is constitutionally independent and not subjected to political pressure or external control?
Mr Banda further expressed concern over the ECZ’s silence on the matter, warning that failure to address the issue transparently could erode public trust ahead of the 2026 general election.
He called for those responsible for issuing the orders to be identified and held accountable, stating that Zambia’s democracy should be protected from invisible hands seeking to manipulate electoral outcomes.
But responding to a press query yesterday, Mr Kasaro said the Commission did not have the policy of halting officers from performing their duties and any suggestion that the ECZ had prevented the Returning Officer from announcing the results were unfounded.
He explained that the Commission did not interfere in the work of Returning Officers during elections as they were working independently from any kind of authority apart from the electoral guidelines.
“The Commission did not issue any directive instructing the Returning Officer or his assistant in Chawama not to announce the election results. Returning Officers are guided by the Electoral Process Act and Regulations, which clearly provide for the Declaration of results after the completion of the tallying process,” Mr Kasaro said.