undp emb placement programme placement... · 2.1 annual work plan ... 3.1 biometric voter...

Malawi Electoral Commission United Nations Development Programme

UNDP EMB PLACEMENT PROGRAMME

TO THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF ZAMBIA

FINAL REPORT

PREPARED BY

Henzily Munkhondya (Director of Electoral Services)

Samuel Sitolo (Senior Electoral Services Officer)

Fyson Magalasi (Electoral Services Officer)

Date: 30th October, 2015

of 53 UNDP EMB Placement Programme Final Report - To the Electoral Commission of Zambia

Table of Contents ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................................................... 4

BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................................................. 6

STRUCTURE OF THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF ZAMBIA ....................................................................... 7

EXPECTED OUTCOMES ................................................................................................................................. 9

1.0 INTRODUCTION TO THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF ZAMBIA AND ITS ELECTORAL SYSTEM .......... 9

1.1 Overview and the electoral system of Zambia ............................................................................. 9

2.0 THE ELECTORAL PROCESS (ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT) ................................................................. 10

2.1 Annual Work Plan ....................................................................................................................... 10

2.2 Planning for elections ................................................................................................................. 11

2.3 Post Electoral Activities Reviews ................................................................................................. 11

2.4 Recruitment and Training of Electoral Staff ................................................................................ 12

2.4.1 Temporary Field Staff .......................................................................................................... 12

2.4.2 Election Master Trainers ..................................................................................................... 12

2.4.3 District Election Trainers, Returning officers and Poll Clerks .............................................. 14

2.5 Stakeholders Training ................................................................................................................. 15

2.6 Training Manual and Aids ........................................................................................................... 15

2.7 Elections Logistics ....................................................................................................................... 15

2.7.1 Budget Development .......................................................................................................... 15

2.7.2 Procurement of electoral materials .................................................................................... 17

2.7.3 Materials distribution and retrievals .................................................................................. 18

2.8 Registration of Voters ................................................................................................................. 22

2.9 Inspection/Verification – Voters Roll .......................................................................................... 26

2.10 Nomination of Candidates .......................................................................................................... 26

2.11 Ballot Papers ............................................................................................................................... 28

2.11.1 Printing of Ballot Papers ..................................................................................................... 28

2.11.2 Integrity cost ....................................................................................................................... 28

2.11.3 Ballot Paper Verification ..................................................................................................... 30

2.12 Polling .......................................................................................................................................... 30

2.12.1 Poll staff .............................................................................................................................. 30

2.12.2 The Polling station ............................................................................................................... 30

2.12.3 Issuance of ballot papers at the polling Centre .................................................................. 32


2.12.4 Counting of votes ................................................................................................................ 33

2.13 Results transmission ................................................................................................................... 33

2.14 Declaration of Presidential election results ................................................................................ 34

2.15 Storage of Ballot papers after voting .......................................................................................... 35

2.16 Political Party Campaign Financing ............................................................................................. 35

3.0 THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT......................................................................... 35

3.1 Biometric Voter Registration ...................................................................................................... 35

3.2 Inspection of the interim Voter Register .................................................................................... 36

3.3 Candidate nominations ............................................................................................................... 36

3.4 Accreditation of Observers ......................................................................................................... 37

3.5 Results management .................................................................................................................. 38

4.0 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND DELIMITATION OF CONSTITUENCY AND WARD

BOUNDARIES .............................................................................................................................................. 38

4.1 Map Digitization .......................................................................................................................... 39

5.0 VOTER EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY DEPARTMENT ...................................................................... 41

5.1 National Voter Education Committee ......................................................................................... 41

5.2 District Voter Education Committee (DVEC) ............................................................................... 41

5.3 Voter Education Resource Centre ............................................................................................... 41

5.4 Stakeholder Engagement on Voter Education ............................................................................ 42

6.0 LEGAL DEPARTMENT ...................................................................................................................... 43

7.0 PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT/SECTION ...................................................................................... 44

7.1 Procurement procedures ............................................................................................................ 44

7.2 Methods / types of procurement ............................................................................................... 45

8.0 FINANCE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT ....................................................................................... 46

8.1 Briefing of Council Finance teams during Electoral activities ..................................................... 47

9.0 INTERNAL AUDIT DEPARTMENT .................................................................................................... 48

9.1 Audit on payments ...................................................................................................................... 49

9.2 Auditing of district councils ......................................................................................................... 49

10.0 HUMAN RESOURCES & ADMINISTRATION .................................................................................... 50

10.1 Recruitment ................................................................................................................................ 50

11.0 FOR IMMEDIATE IMPLEMENTATION ............................................................................................. 51

12.0 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................. 53


ACRONYMS ACB: Anti-Corruption Bureau AFIS: Automated Finger Printing Identification System

APO: Assistant Presiding Officer

ARO: Assistant Returning Officer

BVR: Biometric Voter Registration

CEO: Chief Elections Officer

CSO: Civil Society Organisations

CRO: Constituency Returning Officer

DEO: District Elections Officer

DEST: District Elections Supervisory Team

DET: District Elections Trainers

DVEC: District Voter Education Committee

ECZ: Electoral Commission of Zambia

EMB: Electoral Management Body

FBO: Faith Based Organization

GIS: Geographical Information Systems

HQ: Headquarters

ICT: Information and Communication Technology

IT: Information Technology

LGE: Local Government Elections

MEC: Malawi Electoral Commission

MSCE: Malawi School Certificate of Education

MT: Master Trainers


NGO: Non-Governmental Organization

NRC: National Registration Card

OMR: Optical Mark Recognition

OPC: Office of the President and Cabinet

PEO: Provincial Elections Officer

PO: Presiding Officer

RO: Returning Officer

TC: Town Clerk

TPE: Tripartite Elections

UNDP: United Nations Development Programme

VERC: Voter Education Resource Centre

VRC: Voter Registration Card

WRO: Ward Returning Officer

ZPPA: Zambia Public Procurement Authority


UNDP EMB PLACEMENT PROGRAMME FINAL REPORT ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF ZAMBIA – 14TH SEPTEMBER TO 1OTH OCTOBER, 2015

BACKGROUND As part of the efforts to build the capacity and develop the professional skills of

Malawi Electoral Commission personnel, a placement programme to sister

Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) had been adopted under the UNDP Malawi

Electoral Cycle Support project. Under the placement programme arrangements,

senior staffs (Directors, Deputy Director and key senior officers) were to be placed

with sister EMBs for four weeks as an opportunity to be directly exposed to, and

learn from, alternative systems and processes that are applied within their

functional area.

This exposure is being undertaken with a view towards informing senior

managers’ efforts in self-assessing, designing and implementing enhancements

within their own functional area and assuming managerial ownership for those

efforts.

Basically the initiative is intended to strengthen the knowledge, capacity and

professional skills of members of staff by exposing them to the systems and

processes of high performing sister Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) over the

course of stated period. The members of staff were attached to Zambia Electoral

Commission from 14th September to 11th October 2015. The staff that underwent

placement programme at Zambia Electoral Commission comprised of Director of

Electoral Services, Henzily Munkhondya; Senior Electoral Services Officer, Samuel

Sitolo and Electoral Services Officer, Fyson Magalasi.

The basis of choosing Zambia Electoral Commission emanated from the fact that

the political environment and the electoral systems for both countries is

synonymous and that Zambia’s electoral operation is a little more advanced than

that of Malawi.

The placement programme would also appear to be good opportunity for the

Malawi Electoral Commission to leverage its regional networks and relationships.


In Zambia, the full responsibility of managing the Electoral process is vested in the

Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), which was established in 1996 as an

independent and autonomous body. The establishment of the ECZ was done

through an amendment of the Constitution to provide for the creation of an

independent Electoral Commission under article 76. As stipulated in the article,

the Electoral Commission of Zambia is mandated to;

a. Supervise the registration of Voters

b. Conduct Presidential and Parliamentary elections; and

c. Review the boundary of the Constituencies into which Zambia is divided

for the purposes of elections to the National Assembly.

Further, in 1997 the Local Government Elections (amendment) Act No. 17 gave

powers to the Commission to conduct Local Government elections.

The establishment of the ECZ through the amendment of the Constitution is

further supported by the Electoral Commission Act No. 24 of 1996 which provides

for the composition of the ECZ and other matters connected to the running of the

institution.

Prior to the 1996 Constitution amendment, the Electoral and Local Government

Commissions were constituted on a part time basis for the conduct and

supervision of the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections.

The two Commissions operated in liaison with the elections office which was

under the office of the Vice President. Upon the enactment of the Electoral

Commission Act No. 24 of 1996, the Elections Office was delinked from the Vice

President and members of staff were transferred to Electoral Commission of

Zambia.

STRUCTURE OF THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF ZAMBIA The ECZ is comprised of the Commission, the executive management,

management, departments, Provincial staff and council / district staff as per the

structure below.


D/DIRECTOR

(IT)

COMMISSION

SECRETARY

SECRETARY

DIRECTOR

SYSTEMS

MANAGER

OPERATIONS

MANAGER

MANAGER

LEGAL

LEGAL COUNSEL

SOFTWARE

DEVELOPERS

DATABASE

ADMINISTRA

TOR

GIS

ENGINEERS

NETWORK

ENGINEER

ICT SUPPORT

ENGINEER

ICT SUPPORT

OFFICERS

ICT

SUPPORTASS

ISTANTS

D/DIRECTOR FINANCE

CHIEF

ACCOUNTA

NT

FINANCE

MANAGER

STORES

CONTRO

LLER

ACCOUNT

S CLERK

ACCOU

NTS

CLERK

HUMAN RESOURCE& ADMIN

MANAGER

SNR ADMIN.

OFFICER

ADMIN.OFFICE

R

ASST. ADMIN

OFFICERS

REGISTRY

OFFICER

REGISTRY

CLERKS

ASST.

LIBRARIA

N

TRANSPORT OFFICER

HEAD

DRIVER

MECHANICAL

FOREMAN

MECHANICS

DRIVERS

OFFICE

ASSISTANTS

HORTCUTURIST

PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

SNR PUBLIC RELATIONS

OFFICER

PUBLIC

RELATIONS

OFFICER

HEAD

PROCUREMEN

T

PROCUREMENT

OFFICERS

ASST.

PROCUREMEN

T

OFFICER

STORES

OFFICER

D/DIRECTOR (E)

MANAGER (E)

AUDIT

MANA

GER

INTERNAL

AUDITORS

PRINCIPAL

ELECTORAL

OFFICERS

ELECTORAL

OFFICER

ASSISTANT

ELECTORAL

OFFICERS

DOMESTIC

SERVANTS

SENIOR

ELECTORAL

OFFICERS

MAINTENAN

CE OFFICER

SECRETARI

AL

PERSONNE

L

ASS.INTERNAL

AUDITORS

ASST.

STORES

OFFICERS

D/DIREC

TOR (VE)

MANAG

ER (VE)

Jocelyn

Mubita

PRINCIPAL

VE

OFFICERS

FRONT OFFICE

ASSISTANT

SECURITY GUARD

Vacant

OFFICEASSISTANTS

SANITARY

VOTER ED

OFFICER

ASST. ACCOUNTANT

ASST.

ACCOUN

TANT

ACCOU

NTANT

ACCOU

NTANT


EXPECTED OUTCOMES i. The placement programme seeks to establish relevant benchmarks for the

MEC’s functional areas, undertaken by the line managers and senior staff

attached to Electoral Commission of Zambia.

ii. Members of staff attached to Electoral Commission of Zambia be exposed to

the systems and processes in a similar institutional context to generate lessons

and ideas on how to strengthen the Malawi Electoral Commission.

iii. Recommendations stemming from this placement will be subject to peer

review and managerial prioritization.

iv. The attached staff will be responsible for developing associated capacity

building plans, and have ownership over their implementation, within the

prioritization of institutional resources.

v. The placement programme would also appear to be a good opportunity for

the Malawi Electoral Commission to leverage its regional network and

relationship with Electoral Commission of Zambia.

1.0 INTRODUCTION TO THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF ZAMBIA AND ITS ELECTORAL SYSTEM

1.1 Overview and the electoral system of Zambia

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) is established under Section 76 of the

Republic of Zambia constitution and is responsible for the general direction of and

the supervision over the conduct of parliamentary, presidential and Local

Government Elections in Zambia. It is also responsible for reviewing the

boundaries of the constituencies into which Zambia is divided for the purposes of

elections to the National Assembly.

Zambia like Malawi follows the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) or single-member

plurality system. The principal tenets of this system are many and varied. First, a

country is divided into relatively equal constituencies from which only one

representative is chosen to occupy a parliamentary seat on behalf of that

constituency. By using this election system, the country is divided into


geographically defined constituencies (currently 150) each of which is

represented by one seat in parliament. In this system, a winner takes it all.

Zambia has a permanent voter register since 2005. Major registration exercise

conducted in 2009 -2010 and 2015 -2016. The registration process is continuous

and was enforced into law in 2001.

Zambia has 103 districts and 150 constituencies, 1624 wards, 7700 polling

districts / polling stations. Meanwhile a bill was tabled to increase the number of

constituencies by 6 because of the issue of overlapping boundaries. Current

registration exercise will be conducted from 14th September to 11th November

2015 but will still proceed up to March next year in the districts in readiness for

TPE in 2016. In the Constituencies, the registration is conducted in phases (mobile

registration) within the constituencies and all constituencies are open at the same

time. This is done as one way of minimizing the negative perceptions from

stakeholders as well as minimizing logistics hiccups and costs.

The registration will be conducted in four phases within the constituencies.

Alongside this registration the Electoral Commission of Zambia was also preparing

for by elections in two constituencies and nine wards whose polling was slated for

24th September 2015.

2.0 THE ELECTORAL PROCESS (ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT)

2.1 Annual Work Plan

At ECZ, the development of their Annual Work plan is made in such a way that it

speaks or tied to the Strategic Plan of the Commission. Further the plan feeds into

the Commission`s Annual Budget. Through Strategic Objectives, activities are

lined up for implementation and each activity is tied to time frame within which it

has to be accomplished. The activity is further allocated resources and someone

responsible for its implementation, monitoring and evaluation.


2.2 Planning for elections

Planning for elections follows the Electoral Cycle approach. An election planning is

segmented into 3 major components as budget, procurement and training.

Planning starts in good time with review meetings on each and every activity the

ECZ carried out in previous elections (delimitation, training, registration,

nomination and polling). The process involves gathering suggestions and

recommendations from all departments at the Head Office and field structures.

Recommendations are forwarded to the Commission for consideration so that

they could be incorporated into the master plan including the master budget for

the next elections.

Hence, immediately after an election has been conducted, the ECZ goes into the

following activities to start planning for the subsequent elections:

2.3 Post Electoral Activities Reviews

The ECZ embarks on rigorous reviews to see how elections were conducted and

draw recommendations from the ended elections in order to improve on future

elections. These reviews are conducted both at HQ level and Field reviews in

Provinces and Councils. Stakeholders submit what worked and what did not work

and propose recommendations to improve on what did not work. This covers all

electoral processes.

Lessons learnt

That planning for elections follows an Electoral Cycle Approach where immediately after elections there is a comprehensive review of all electoral activities at national, provincial and Council levels involving all key electoral stakeholders


2.4 Recruitment and Training of Electoral Staff

2.4.1 Temporary Field Staff

For general elections, positions are advertised then interested people meeting

requirements apply. Those shortlisted are called for interviews. The short listing is

based on those who previously worked during elections as poll staff. In this

regard, those with experience in conducting elections are advised to attach copies

of their certificates issued by ECZ after completing similar previous training when

applying.

During by elections, interviews are not held but ECZ draws names from the

database of poll workers whose performance was satisfactory in the preceding

electoral activities of similar nature

Those shortlisted are put on open notice boards for the general public to vet the

names before they are confirmed for recruitment.

The recruitment process of all temporal electoral staff and their requirements is

contained in the Election Officer`s Handbook. Apart from the established staff of

the Commission, the following are also recruited on temporal/part time basis to

assist in the conduct of elections:

2.4.2 Election Master Trainers

ECZ advertises the vacancies for the positions and those interested and with

relevant qualifications apply. These are part time electoral officers recruited by

the Commission and take them through intensive training on all the electoral

processes. At the end of the training, they are tested for certification in order to

assess their competence. Those who perform well in the tests are given the job.

Most of these are former Secondary School teachers or those retired officers

who played a pivotal role in the conduct of elections during the time of their

employment who were either Returning Officers or District Election Officers.

These Master Trainers then train Provincial Elections Officers and District Election

Trainers. ECZ uses/ engages Master Trainers in its training related to electoral

activities to impart knowledge and skills to all stakeholders in elections.


Advantages of engaging Master Trainers

i. Training commences in all districts at once.

ii. Stakeholders have confidence and trust in Master Trainers. The confidence

comes in as the trainers are not permanently from the Commission but

from the Councils/Communities

iii. The Commission utilizes their teaching skills and abilities to impart

knowledge to the poll staff. In the long run this has comparative advantage

– as the trainers have prolonged and intense experience in electoral

training.

iv. It builds staff confidence experience and skills hence participants’ have

confidence and trust in Master Trainers due to expertise in elections field.

v. These MT are readily available whenever there is a need to engage them in

an activity.

vi. Operations at the Head Office are not disrupted for the reason that other

members of staff are in the field conducting training sessions rather they go

at a time just to monitor.

vii. It is cost effective as the Master Trainers are located in their respective

districts.

viii. It brings distinctive recognition to the Commission’s programmes and

services

ix. It ensures sustainable professional development for staff.

x. It provides continuity in the implementation of best practices

xi. It promotes professional development by identifying staff who meet entry

qualifications to receive master trainer certification.

Lesson learnt

The use of Master Trainers as electoral trainers is beneficial. Stakeholders have confidence and trust in Master Trainers. The confidence comes in as the trainers are not permanently from the Commission but from the Councils/Communities. Master trainers train District Elections Trainers and ROs.


Recommendation

It is recommended if MEC should adopt the system of using Master Trainers

and district training teams in order to realize the advantages stipulated above.

2.4.3 District Election Trainers, Returning officers and Poll Clerks

After training, the Master Trainers go to Provinces where they train District

Election Trainers, Returning officers and Poll Clerks drawn from various district

councils. All categories of staff go through test and only successful ones are

picked then a database for staffs is kept for use during elections. From each

Council, Town Clerks become District Elections Officers and at Provincial level,

they become Provincial Election Officers. During Voter Registration, Returning

Officers become Registration Supervisors

All details of Master Trainers, District Election Trainers, Returning Officers and

Assistant Returning Officers are kept in a database for future use. The field

training teams are utilized in both registration and polling exercises.

MECs scenario on recruitment of election staff

The Commission advertises and interested people apply. Short listing is based on

those with experience in electoral work. The Commission however does not issue

certificates to those who previously worked/trained in electoral activities. Vetting

is done through checking with the database.

Recommendation on recruitment and Training

It is recommended that:

The Commission should start issuing certificates to those people who undergo

training/work during elections so that when applying for the proceeding

electoral activities they should be attaching copies of such certificates as

evidence that they have experience in electoral work.

In the training process, tests should be conducted to assess competence of the

trainees. Those who perform unsatisfactorily should be dropped immediately.

This should be communicated to trainees in their invitation letters that being

recruited it’s not automatic but rather dependent on their performance during

training


There should be ample time between the training and actual work so that the

Commission is able to replace those dropped in time through the same

process.

A minimum of three days on training so that there is enough time to go

through different election related cases and adequate assessment of

participants.

2.5 Stakeholders Training

The Voter Education and Legal Departments are involved in training stakeholders

(Political parties, security officers, traditional leaders, youths, Faith Based

Organizations and NGOs) on electoral matters so that they are conversant with

the electoral system, processes and procedures. In councils, these are

trained/briefed by the District Elections Officer and his/team.

2.6 Training Manual and Aids

Prior to elections, training needs are identified. Where need be, consultants are

engaged to help with the development of training materials, aids, manuals

relevant for different categories of staff and stakeholders to be trained.

Currently ECZ is on a project to engage at least two consultants to develop

training manuals and aids relevant to all categories of trainees in election

processes to be used for the 2016 Tripartite Elections.

Recommendation

It is strongly recommended that MEC should be using the consultants in

electoral materials development and production of electoral manuals. This

will ease the workload on the staff to concentrate on other key issues.

2.7 Elections Logistics

Elections Logistics encompass three major areas as follows:

2.7.1 Budget Development

The master budget is prepared by consolidating departmental budgets and

district budgets in consideration of approved recommendations from review


meetings. The budget is segmented into district budgets well in advance and

submitted in time to Government for funding consideration.

Budget for elections is developed and submitted to government two years before

the election year. This allows enough time for scrutiny and clarification of the

master budget. Budget for 2016 elections was submitted in 2014.It is a

consolidation of departmental submissions supervised by the operations

department. It is looked at as a project budget since elections are treated as a

project.

Development Partners choose their areas of interest to assist and communicate

to the Commission through the Government.

Government honors the budget in full and on implementation, Government

releases funds in 3 installments; 40%, 40% then 20% in the course of project

implementation. However if there is a need for supplementary budget, it is also

submitted to Government for consideration.

Elections budget is protected and the conduct of elections is regarded as one of

the priority areas for Government; as such the project is fully supported.

2.7.1.1 Elections budget for districts

Money meant for elections activities in districts is sent to districts where District

Elections Officers (Town Clerks/District Commissioners) take charge of the

budgets and at the end of each activity they liquidate it to ECZ.

For the field activities funds are given to the Supervisors (Returning Officers) to go

and pay their staff and bring back signed copies to District Elections Officers for

liquidation to ECZ.

For the field staff, they are paid half of their honoraria as they go to the field and

the other half is paid at the end of the exercise after fully accounting for the

equipment they used in the field. Value of items lost is recovered from the

remaining half of payments.

This works well because of the trust Government has in the Commission as a

result of prudence in financial management policies. A strong bond of trust also

exists between the Councils and the Commission.


MEC Scenario

Electoral funds are controlled centrally by the Head Office. The Commission tried

to decentralize disbursement of electoral funds to councils but it did not work as

no financial returns came from the councils due to lack of integrity and

commitment in financial management by council staff.

Recommendation

It is recommended that MEC should have a protected budget. Council budgets

to be prepared by councils spearheaded by DEST, then scrutinized at Head

Office to come up with a consolidated main elections budget. The councils to

defend their election budget before consolidation. This will enhance

participation of councils in the electoral activities.

It is also recommended that MEC should strengthen capacity of its staff in

councils so that they are able to handle electoral funds at that level.

2.7.2 Procurement of electoral materials

After submission of a Budget, a procurement plan is developed and also

submitted to government .This outlines all procurements when and what is to be

procured. To do procurement, the Commission conducts a materials needs

assessment so that those available and those that could be re used are not

procured. Only those not available in stock but required for use are procured.

2.7.2.1 Distribution Planning

Requisition for the procurement of materials is entirely done by the user

department based on the stock balances, recommendations for new

specifications. Material & Equipment form is a check list which assists in

assessment of material requirement as it tracks down the stock balances. With

the material equipment form it is also possible to determine the quantities of

material up to stream level.

The terrain, closeness and geographical features play a role in materials planning.

This is because in some areas, they need water transport while in others they

need to airlift the materials. There is a database for the mode of transport in each

district. ECZ relies on councils to distribute and retrieve materials.


Recommendations

It is strongly recommended that MEC adopts the materials planning and

distribution software which ECZ uses which was developed by a UNDP

consultant

It is further recommended that a database for the terrain and geographical

features of the country is maintained so that it becomes easier to effectively

plan for the distribution and retrieval of materials using the right type /mode

of transport

2.7.3 Materials distribution and retrievals

In distribution planning, ECZ considers factors such as: distance, accessibility and

geographical terrain. The Commission has in its database information regarding

areas with their specific transport needs. The Commission relies much on councils

to provide the information. The information assists in route planning and

scheduling. Distribution of materials starts with those areas which are very far

and those that require switch of transport modes due to geographical terrain.

Boats and airplanes are hired to distribute materials in the swampy areas.

To ensure that materials reach destination in time and in good condition, drivers

are given delivery note prepared in triplicate to be signed by council stores clerks

signifying receipt of the materials in right quantities and good order. One copy is

kept by the stores clerk, another is filed at the head office and the third copy filed

in the Stores department.

After elections reusable materials and ballot papers are taken back to the main

warehouse for safe keeping. Ballot papers are kept for a period of four years

before destruction.

MEC Scenario

All election materials are kept at the Head Office/Regional Offices and packing is

done at the Head Office. This mounts unnecessary pressure to the Commission

during general elections as materials for the whole country are packed by few


staff within a short period of time. This also affects distribution of the same to

polling centres.

Recommendation

It is recommended that MEC should have permanent building infrastructures

in all councils so that District Councils are empowered to safely keep and pack

election materials (non sensitive). This could be started well in advance

presumably a month or two before the polling.

This will ease the pressure at the Head Office and result into distribution

efficiency.

2.7.3.1 Transportation of election materials

The Elections Department carries out need assessment on transport and come up

with the required number of vehicles, boats and planes. This is determined by

nature of operation to be carried out and the terrain.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia owns 30 trucks and 70 Land cruisers

specifically for operations. This is in addition to utility vehicles allocated to

Commissioners and Executive Management.

In case of shortfalls the Commission is authorized to hire as long as they follow

procedures and the line budget without jeopardizing the operations. At council

level if there is a shortfall in vehicles, the Commission is informed and approval is

granted for them to hire. The hiring is done through the Council Tendering

Committee instituted by ECZ. The process takes only a day in order to ensure

efficiency in meeting deadlines. For instance, during the recent by elections

conducted on 24th September, 2015 in two constituencies, the Commission hired

103 vehicles just to ensure that transportation of field staff and materials is done

smoothly without hiccups.

The process of hiring is not for vehicles only but also for boats and planes for the

inaccessible centres.

MEC Scenario

The Electoral Services Directorate does the transport needs assessment to come

up with number of vehicles, boats and planes required for the operations.


The Commission owns 3 trucks and one 16 seater minibus on pool. This is in

addition to 10 vehicles allocated to Commissioners, 10 to Management and 3 to

Regional Elections Officers.

This situation is very pathetic as it leaves the Commission with no vehicle for

operations.

Contrary to the status, the Commission is not allowed to hire vehicles for its

operations. Mobilization of election vehicles is done by Government instituted

Election Transport Task Force led by the OPC which does not fully appreciates

what is involved in elections operational matters. Coupled with this, Government

is not able to fully meet the transport demands for the Commission. This leaves

the Commission with inadequate transport crippling the operations of electoral

activities.

Recommendation

Delivery of credible elections will remain a dream if MEC continues to be

inadequately funded. It is therefore recommended that:

Government should fund the Commission adequately so that it acquires more

vehicles for its operations. The current status on transport transpires that the

Commission cannot manage to conduct by election in one ward.

The Commission should be allowed to hire vehicles for its operations. Since

most Government Departments are not willing to release their vehicles.

2.7.3.2 Warehouse Facility

ECZ built its own central warehouse where elections materials are kept. This is

also utilized as a delivery point for all supplies before they are distributed in bulk

to councils after having quantified them according to district centre’s

requirement. During general elections, inspection and verification of ballot papers

by Returning officers and Assistant Returning Officers is done at the same main

warehouse.

In addition to the main warehouse in Lusaka, ECZ has warehouses in councils.

These warehouses are either rented or given to ECZ by Government Departments

in councils for use during elections. These warehouses are manned by Council

Stores Clerk. Police Officers are assigned to guard the warehouses in councils.


Where government departments at council level are unable to provide

warehouses for ECZ, the EMB rents from private offices to act as warehouses

Recommendation

It is strongly recommended that MEC identifies buildings in Districts to be used

as Warehouses during election period so that all non sensitive materials are

sent in districts in good time for the council staff to do the packaging there for

eventual distribution to centers in each district.

2.7.3.3 Materials Logistics Module Software

The ECZ with assistance from UNDP engaged a consultant who developed a tailor

made software which links Elections Department, Finance Department,

Procurement Section and Stores Section in materials management. The software

captures data such as names of districts, constituencies and polling stations. It

also captures number of voters per station. With this, the system calculates

number of streams per polling station and material requirement per stream

according to the recommended check list. Government is therefore advised on

which procurement are to start and funds are released in that order starting with

major procurements.

2.7.3.4 Packaging and packing of materials and material management

in councils

The ECZ has in place Town clerk, Stores officer, Director of finance, Cashier and

driver in district councils to look after all election materials and account for them

after each electoral process is over. In the absence of full accountability of

materials, they are not paid.

Packaging and packing is done at the council. At district level they are then

packaged according to centre requirement in strict compliance to Materials check

list which accompanies the materials from Electoral Headquarters.

ECZ ensures that a council is provided in bulk with adequate materials for the

elections. ECZ sends materials (non sensitive) to councils six months before the

polling date to enable them have adequate time to pack materials and in case

there are breakages or shortfall they are addressed in time.


Lesson Learnt:

Construction of spacious purpose built warehouse

Packaging of materials in bulk to councils

Drivers’ compliance to distribution system

Use of rented Warehouses in councils to keep elections materials

Election Materials strict accountability by Council staff failure to which they

are not paid allowances

Recommendation

It is strongly recommended that MEC adopts the same approach to ease

warehousing problems

2.8 Registration of Voters

Registration is done using Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) system. This is

where details of registrants are captured electronically at the registration centre.

At the centre there are only two officers namely the operator of the equipment

and a Police Officer.

The registrant presents him/herself to the registration officer with documents or

evidence of his/her eligibility to register. The officer takes the photo and enters

the personal details including the polling centre one will cast his/her vote on the

polling day. Then the operator prints the card and shows to the registrant for

confirmation of details. Then the card is laminated.

The process takes a minimum of 3 minutes and a maximum of 10 minutes to be

completed. The equipment kit comprises of a laptop, processor with a built in

camera, a portable rechargeable power bank and a portable printer.

The Constituency Returning Officers also known as Registration Supervisors

collect the data around all registration centres in flash discs for consolidation at

constituency and the council levels. This is done on weekly basis. Data from all

councils is then sent to the Head Office consolidation at national level at the end

of the exercise. This is for the production of voters roll.


Registration is carried out at the District council and in the outskirts (field

registration). Field registration is done in phases (Mobile registration) in the

centres within constituencies in the council. A phase takes a period of 14 days

however the whole exercise takes 60 days in ECZ’s context. Registration teams

move within the constituencies up until the council is fully covered. This means

that registration is carried out national wide within the stipulated period.

There is no registration prior to by elections after the National Voters Register has

been certified. For example, during the 24th September by election, they were still

using 2011 voter register for the by elections as those newly registered are not

yet consolidated into the National Register.

Logistically the movement of teams within the constituency in councils is easier

and cost effective.

The Biometric Voter Registration system has the following advantages among

others:

a. It is cost effective as:

Number of field registration staff could be reduced to 2 per centre ( BEO –

Operator and Police Officer)

The quantity of materials required in terms of stationery is also reduced as

system only needs A4 paper, lamination porches and plain folders. No need

for OMR forms, part A & B boxes

Data entry is immediately done at the centre hence no need for temporary

data entry clerks.

Teams are able to rotate within the constituencies/councils thereby no

need for hiring of buses at the end of every phase.

No need for warehouse space for part A and B forms as this information is

backed up electronically.

No burden of transporting the part As to polling stations.

b. It is efficient as the process takes less than 10 minutes to completely register a

voter thereby allowing less queuing time for registrants.

c. Human error is eradicated as the system provides checks and balances as data

is being entered.


d. Contrary to the current manual system, the operator is required to have in

additional to MSCE at least a certificate in computer studies hence level of

competence is raised resulting in high quality output.

e. During data consolidation all double registrations are detected easily;

depending on the Commission’s decision, these could be prosecuted as the

law requires; and these are put on exclusion list so that they are barred from

voting.

f. The BVR equipment produces different reports instantly thereby make it easier

to monitor progress.

g. It is flexible as a voter is able to register from any place and advise the

registration officer to post him/her to the centre where she /he wants to cast

her vote.

h. With BVR it is very much possible to carry out registration country wide within

the specified period as registration teams could be rotating within the councils

thereby minimizing speculations on the criteria used in choosing

areas/regions/councils to start from.

i. It is possible to time the registration exercise so that it is undertaken outside

rain season.

j. In the absence of National Identity Cards it is possible to programme the

system so that it uses our usual identity documents.

k. The system is user friendly as the kits could be customized to suit user needs

such as accreditation and results transmission.

MEC Scenario

Registration is done manually involving a minimum of 8 officers at a centre. After

the details have been captured manually on the forms they are delivered to the

ICT Directorate as they move between phases for data entry into the system for

the production of voters roll.

Registration is done in phases by districts starting from the Southern Region

through Central Region to the Northern Region.

Eligible voters are required to register at the centre where they will cast their

votes.


Disadvantages of OMR Registration system

The system has the following disadvantages:

It involves more staff at the registration centre. Logistically it is cumbersome to transfer teams from one district to another It requires use of more materials It requires more staff for data capturing in the ICT Directorate resulting in

having up to three shifts One is to register where he/she will cast his/her vote. Human error compromises the quality output in production of reports and

records. Training of voter registration staff becomes a challenge considering the

number of people involved.

Lesson Learnt

Biometric system (the simplicity of the BVR operation)

Registration Phases within councils (all constituencies opened at once)

All parts of the country are open at once using mobile registration

There is only two staff at each registration Centre- the equipment operator

and the security offer (cost effective)

High level of competence displayed by staff at a Centre

That one can register anywhere in the country as long as he/she has relevant

documentations to back ones eligibility

Absence of party agents at a registration Centre( showing that stakeholders

have confidence in the ECZ

Simplicity in the operation of the BVR machine

Production of registration statistics copies to stakeholders that enhance

stakeholders’ confidence in the electoral process.

Recommendation

In line with MEC’s Strategic Plan Pillar No.3, Strategic Goal No.4 with a specific

objective of having an accurate, current and relevant voters’ register in place

by 2017 (pg 34), it is recommended that MEC should switch to Biometric Voter

Registration system so as to benefit from technological innovations as sister


EMBs are doing. If possible this could start in the next registration towards

2019 general elections.

2.9 Inspection/Verification – Voters Roll

Inspection/verification of voters’ roll is conducted in 14 days whereby voters are

encouraged to go and verify their names in the register so that if there are

mistakes they should be corrected before the polling. In order to encourage

voters to go and verify their details, every voter who verifies his/her name in the

voter register is given a slip as evidence for verification of their details. ECZ is only

liable to those who turned out to verify their names in case of mistake/error

discovered on the polling day.

MEC Scenario

During general elections inspection of voters’ roll is done in 7 days. However no

slip is issued to a voter as evidence that he/she inspected the register.

Lesson Learnt

That those who have turned up for inspection exercise have their Voter IDs pasted with a sticker as evidence that they turned up for inspection. Those who didn’t turn up cannot blame the EMB for any irregularity pertaining to their details on the voting day as they did not report for inspection

Recommendation

In order to encourage voters to turn up for the exercise it is recommended to

review the law and introduce the system of issuing slips for those who inspect

the registers. This will also reduce number of cases pertaining to voter register

on the polling as MEC will only be liable to those who had verified.

2.10 Nomination of Candidates

Aspirants collect nomination forms from the Constituency Returning Officers in

their respective councils within the specified time in accordance with their

Electoral Act.

On the day of presentation, all aspirants bring their nominators in person before

the Returning Officers. The nominators are required to bring the Voter


Registration Card and National Registration Card. The voter cards are verified by

the Commission before nominators append their signatures on the nomination

forms.

The physical presence of nominators assists in prevention of one person

nominating more than one candidate.

The numbers of nominators required are as follows:

MEC Scenario

Aspirants collect nomination forms from the Returning Officers and nominators

indicate their voter registration ID details and append their signatures on the

nomination forms within the specified time in accordance the Electoral Act.

On the day of presentation, nominators are not physically present at the

presentation but their details are verified.

The numbers of nominators required are as per the table below:

Seat Nominators President Elections Not less than 10 per district

Member of Parliament Elections Not less than 10 from within Constituency Local Government Elections Not less 10 from within the ward

Under MEC’s setup, there is a possibility of one person nominating more than

one. If a nominator is disqualified it becomes difficult to find a replacement within

the immediate possible time.

Lesson Learnt

Availability of nominators in person at the presentation day( enhancing

analysis process).

Seat Nominators President Elections 200 from anywhere within the country

Member of Parliament Elections 9 from within the Constituency Local Government Elections 9 from within the ward


The use of the biometric equipment for the nomination process, including

verification of electors

Candidates may stand for nomination even if they are not registered voters

That analysis of the nomination form is done during the day presentation of

the Nomination forms

Those nominators for the presidential candidates can come from anywhere

That the Chief Justice is the Returning Officer for presidential candidates

A candidate is supposed to have at least two representatives for nomination

process.

Recommendation

It is recommended to have the physical presence of the nominators at

presentation venue for verification.

2.11 Ballot Papers

2.11.1 Printing of Ballot Papers

A ballot paper is tied to a voter. ECZ prints its ballot papers in South Africa. The

quantity requirement per station is determined by number of registered voters at

a polling Centre rounded to the next unit and this is what is submitted to a

printer.

No extra ballot papers are printed. Those authorized to vote elsewhere will just

vote for the president only. Their ballot papers would be covered from the

rounded figure but also those who may fail turn up since from experience turn up

has never been 100%. In practice those to vote elsewhere are not more than five

people per centre.

In rare cases where a polling station runs out of presidential ballot papers those

to vote elsewhere are referred to the nearest polling station to cast their votes.

2.11.2 Integrity cost

Stakeholders are involved in all stages of electoral process. ECZ engages the all

stakeholders to monitor the printing, packaging and dispatch of ballot papers


from the printer in South Africa to Zambia. These are police officers, political

party representatives, Faith Based Organizations and Anti-Corruption Bureau.

The Commission meets all the expenses associated with this exercise as the

budget provides for it.

After printing, stakeholders are also involved in verification process to be sure

that there are no mistakes and shortages which takes place at the main

warehouse.

Upon delivering the same to councils, stakeholders are at liberty to re-verify the

ballot papers.

Because of full involvement of electoral stake holders at all levels and at the

expense of the ECZ, stakeholders become very reasonable and moderate in

handling electoral issues. In some cases, if issues arise against the Commission,

they are in the fore front defending the EZC.

MEC Scenario

Stakeholders are not fully incorporated into the electoral system and processes

whereby if they are to get involved they do it at their own cost.

Lessons Learnt:

That stakeholders accompany the Commission to oversee the printing process

at the Commission`s budget.

The exact number of ballot papers equivalent to registered voters is printed.

There is ballot paper verification exercise at ECZ by all stakeholders before

delivery to councils.

The Printing of ballot papers on a relatively small size paper (cost effective).

Recommendation

It is recommended that MEC should include full participation of stakeholders

in its budget in all activities especially Political Parties in order to fill the gap

between the Commission and stakeholders. A policy could be formulated to

include the Secretary Generals of Political Parties in all crucial stages of

elections.


2.11.3 Ballot Paper Verification

After printing, ballot papers are taken to the main warehouse for verification.

District Elections Officers, Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers are

invited to come and verify ballot papers for their respective constituencies.

The process ensures that mistakes and shortages are detected in time before

finally delivering ballot papers to the respective Centre’s.

2.12 Polling

2.12.1 Poll staff

Apart from the Commission and Secretariat, elections are run by:

1. Town Clerks / District Commissioners who during the time of elections become

District Elections Officers.

2. Master Trainers

3. Constituency Returning Officers and two Assistant Returning Officers

4. District Elections Trainers

5. Presiding Officers

6. Assistant Presiding Officers where a Polling Station has more than one stream.

Threshold for a stream is 800 voters

7. Poll Clerks (3 per stream): Identification, Inking and Ballot Paper Issuer

8. Usher

9. One Security Officer per stream.

2.12.2 The Polling station

The polling station is marked restricted area with a reflective tape at a radius of

200 meters. Posters depicting a sample of the actual ballot paper, indicating

details of candidates contesting are pasted in the booths and around the Polling

Station.

Polling Stations are opened at 06:00 hours and closed at 18:00 hours in the

presence of one accredited local monitor for each contestant at a time. At both

occasions, the Presiding Officer will declare the centre having officially opened or

closed. A gen set and lantern lamps are provided at a Polling Station for lighting.


Deployment is done two days before the polling day to allow for adequate setting

time.

All monitors from political parties that contested for Presidential seat are

provided with copies of National Voters Register to use at the polling station for

their reference. As the identification clerk calls out the name they also check in

their registers. If they find the name faster than the clerk they will call out the

page and roll number so that they save time.

The identification clerk calls out the voters roll and page number then the voters

NRC and VRC numbers so that they all confirm the eligibility of the voter. After

confirmation, the identification Clerk and the monitors tick the voter register

against the voter. The Inking Clerks marks the right hand thumb nail of the voter

with indelible marker. The Ballot Paper Issuer writes identification cards’ numbers

on counterfoil then the stamps at the back of the ballot paper confirming its

authenticity before handing it over to the voter.

MEC Scenario

The voting procedure is the same as ECZ only that:

Monitors do not have a copy of voters’ register

Voters dip their fingers in indelible ink.

Monitors are not deployed where they registered.

Polling stations are restricted areas with a radius of 100 meters and not

marked with a reflective tape. Security Officers are deployed 2 per centre.

Lesson Learnt

Packaging and distribution of materials done at council level

Accreditation of monitors using the biometric equipment

Verification of ballot papers by all stakeholders done at EMB HQ

Use of indelible marker

Availability of voter registers to political parties during polling at no cost on

those who have fielded Presidential candidates. The others are given the Voter

Registers at a relatively low cost.


Declaration of opening and closing of the centre is uniformly done throughout

the country in all the centres.

Recommendation

Subject to availability of resources it is recommended that:

Political parties contesting for Presidential seat be given national voters

register but contribution cost should be attached for the printing.

Political Parties and independent candidates should be advised to deploy their

monitors where they register.

Security Officers to be deployed 1 per stream because it is cost effective.

However this should be negotiated at highest level.

Use of indelible markers should be adopted to replace indelible ink. This will

do away with use of paper towel and gloves. It will also leave the tables clean

as found (need to be included in the electoral law review).

Use of reflective tape to mark the restricted area should be adopted.

Declaration of opening and closing of a centre to be uniformly done

2.12.3 Issuance of ballot papers at the polling Centre

Ballot papers are not transferable between centres regardless of being in the

same ward for LGE and constituency for MP. Political parties and Independent

candidates are advised to deploy their monitors where they registered so that

they vote easily.

During tripartite / general elections, voters are given all three ballot papers at

once. The ink clerk after inking he/she issues one ballot paper (presidential) the

actual ballot paper issuer clerk issues the other two ballot papers (National

Assembly and Local Government). The voter now proceeds to the booth to make

and mark his/her choice thereafter to the ballot boxes. To ensure that voters cast

their votes in correct boxes, one clerk is assigned to guide the voters to cast their

votes in the correct boxes without congesting the polling Centres. The lids for

ballot boxes and the ballot papers have different colors corresponding to

respective elections.


In case of General Elections, a Polling Station erects more than three booths in

order to ease congestion. Officers on duty casting their ballots away from their

polling stations are only allowed to vote for the president unless if it is in the

same constituency.

Recommendations

It is recommended that ballot papers for all the elections be issued out to a

voter at once.

That more ballot booths be used to ease congestion.

That ballot papers of different distinct colors per elections to be printed so

that voters can easily differentiate them.

That a ballot box guide be introduced to avoid casting a wrong ballot paper

into a wrong box.

That in the event of a ballot paper having been cast in a wrong box, it should

not be declared as null and void but put it in the right box so that it can be

counted together with others as a valid vote.

2.12.4 Counting of votes

Counting of votes is done immediately after the last person casts his/her vote. In

the course of counting, if ballot paper is found in a wrong ballot box, it is taken to

the right category of election and counted as a valid. Stakeholders are well

informed of resolutions in such circumstances during counting. There are no

disputes over such ballot papers.

All necessary forms pertaining to results are filled by the Presiding Officers and

countersigned by accredited monitors. A copy of results is displayed at the polling

Centre.

2.13 Results transmission

The Presiding Officer delivers the polling station results to the Returning Officer at

the constituency totaling Centre. The Returning Officer aggregates all results from

his/her constituency.


If the Station has more than one stream, the stream results are added up into a

station result. Each stream has an Assistant Presiding Officer who supervises the

stream.

The Returning Officer announces the results and declares the winner for National

Assembly and Local Government elections only. He further sends the results

direct to National Totaling Centre and ECZ Head Office electronically using the

Biometric Registration kit. Besides the CRO there is IT staff from the ECZ who

sends each station result to ECZ HQ.

Lesson Learnt.

Transmission of results using the biometric equipment and SMS`s

The PO also accounts for all elections materials before he/she gets paid the

allowances

2.14 Declaration of Presidential election results

The Chief Justice is the Returning Officer for the presidential election since the

country is regarded as one constituency. Results are tallied as they come from

different constituencies and announced by the Chairperson of the Commission

with the assistance of Director of Elections (CEO).

After the verification and totaling, the Chief Justice resumes the position of

Returning Officer to declare the winner. All results are printed at the National

Totaling Centre and distributed to stakeholders willing to have a copy of it.

Thereafter the Chief Justice relieves himself from the position of Returning Officer

back to usual position of Chief Justice in order to carry out the swearing in

ceremony of the new president.

The law stipulates that the swearing in to be carried out within 48 hours after

declaration of results.

Lessons Learnt:

Declaration of constituency and ward results by the Returning Officer

Declaration of results of Presidential results by the Chief Justice


2.15 Storage of Ballot papers after voting

Ballot papers are kept in tamper proof envelopes in order to release ballot boxes

for other uses like By Elections. Ballot papers are disposed off after four years to a

company that is hired by ECZ to shred off the ballots papers. ECZ pays the

company.

2.16 Political Party Campaign Financing

Political Parties find their own means of financing their activities including

campaign. They are also not required to disclose their source of income neither

being accountable to any authority.

3.0 THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

The IT Department provides support services to the Operational Department on

the following functions:

1. GIS and Delimitation

2. Biometric Voter Registration

3. Inspection of the interim voter`s Register

4. Candidate nomination

5. Accreditation of Observers

6. Elections Results Management

3.1 Biometric Voter Registration

Up to 2005, the ECZ conducted Voter Registration using OMR forms which was

basically manually operated (equivalent to the current Voter Registration system

used in Malawi). In 2010, the ECZ embarked on a major Voter Registration in

preparation for 2011 General Elections using the Biometric Voter Registration

system. The system used car batteries and inverters to provide power to the

Digital Registration Kits.

In the 2015 Registration drive, ECZ procured improved version of the 2010

equipment with an improved camera, printer in addition to power bank and Gen


sets instead of using car batteries. When a power bank is fully charged, it lasts 8

hours. In the year 2015, 2200 equipment were bought, 2000 of which are in the

field and 200 are backup in case of breakdown. Before taking them to the field for

use, field officers are taken through a rigorous training exercise which takes 5

days. On the 6th day they are subjected to a test and only those who are

successful take the machines to the field.

Before commencing registration on a daily basis, the field staff test runs the

machines on all the provided functionalities e.g. the laptop, camera, printer,

finger print leader (AFIS), signature pad, USB drive and camera light. The BVR

machine also has fields for all forms of disabilities that applicants have. Maps for

all polling Districts and polling stations are also preloaded on the laptop to assist

the field officer to check the catchment areas for registration stations.

In the course of registration, data is periodically backed up to avoid loss of data

due to loss of power or breakdown of equipment.

At the end of a registration phase (mobile period) data is put in USBs for

collection by Council staff and sent to ECZ HQ for register compilation. During

registration, a registrant can register at any registration centre in the country but

should indicate where he/she will vote on the polling day

When compiling the register, his/her name will be reflected at the centre where

one will vote.

3.2 Inspection of the interim Voter Register

During inspection, all kits are sent out to the field. Since quantity of kits is fewer

than the number of centres, one kit services four centres (as we do in Malawi). No

transfers are allowed during inspection and By Elections. This is the time when

people go to centres to verify if their details are available in the register.

3.3 Candidate nominations

The same Biometric Equipment used for registration is used for candidate

nominations. Candidates are given hard copies for them to fill in the required


details and bring them along with their electors to the Returning Officer where

the IT staff will enter those details in the Kit

Nominators are registered voters in the Ward/ Constituency where their

candidate comes from. However, the candidate can stand even if he/she is not a

registered voter. Nine nominators from the Constituency/Ward are required to

nominate the Member of Parliament or local government candidate.

For President 200 nominators without indicating where they come from as the

whole country is a constituency

A non refundable nomination fee for each election type is payable as prescribed

by the Commission. Returning Officer for Presidential candidate is the Chief

Justice while in Councils there are CROs and WRO who receive nominations for

Parliamentary candidate and Local Government candidate.

Each candidate is required to have two agents to transact business for the

candidate. They too have to be registered voters

For Independent Candidates, symbols are provided by the ECZ. The Kit is

customized to have details of all nominators entered before the nomination is

accepted. The Kit also generated a number of reports relevant to nomination

exercise. At the end of a successful nomination, a ballot paper template is

generated in readiness for the printing of ballot papers.

3.4 Accreditation of Observers

The BVR Kit is also used for the accreditation of observers. Observers are given

printed cards with their photos on it to enable them getting identified during

election observation.

The accreditation process is decentralized with international observers being

accredited at ECZ designated place in Lusaka while local observers are accredited

in their various councils .However the process of accreditation remains the same.


Before a card is issued, observers are required to read and understand the codes

of conduct form and sign them as an oath for them to swear that they will abide

by the codes of conduct in doing observation

Lessons learnt

Observers sign a code of conduct to regulate their observation

3.5 Results management

After counting of results, the PO records the proceedings of the results on the

relevant forms then brings copies to Constituency Tally Centre where the CRO

aggregates them into Constituency/Ward results and declaration of the results is

done by the CRO.

As results are coming in from Polling Stations to Constituency Tally Centre, there

is at each Tally Centre a Results Management Kit operated by IT Officer from ECZ

who transmits the same information to National Tally Centre/ ECZ HQ. The results

are encrypted as they are being sent then they get decrypted one they reach ECZ

HQ

Hard copies of the results are also faxed to ECZ. For Presidential results, once all

results have come and verified, the Chief Justice is the one who announces the

Presidential results

4.0 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND DELIMITATION OF CONSTITUENCY AND WARD BOUNDARIES

GIS section is under IT department in the ECZ setup. ECZ is mandated to

demarcate wards and polling districts as per its statutory act. The ECZ is not

mandated to demarcate constituency boundaries as it is mentioned in the

constitution as such Parliament amends it first before delimitation.

Boundaries of Polling Districts are clearly indicated on the map and every

registration officer has an electronic copy and hard copy of map showing


boundaries of the constituency, wards, polling districts and polling stations so as

to guide registrants properly in case of misdirection.

From 1996 to 2004 ECZ maps were produced externally by engaging experts from

National Statistical Office and Department of Survey who were also printing the

same in mass.

In 2005, a Delimitation Section was established at ECZ with two officers and two

plotters so that maps could be timely edited, updated and produced as a need

arises.

Geographical Information System uses a combination of software versions which

are purchased or freely downloaded such as Google Maps in order to produce

high quality maps with adequate and relevant information.

4.1 Map Digitization

It took 5 years to digitize the maps so as to have an electronic version in their

database. This makes it easier to merge maps with other Government

Departments data without overlapping.

In 2005, delimitation of wards and polling districts was carried out in consultation

with all stakeholders through delimitation sittings. During these consultative

meetings ECZ produced background maps for discussion.

The process takes into consideration factors such as geographical features, area,

population distribution and communication among others.

In 2014, ECZ carried out a delimitation exercise to review boundaries of wards

and polling districts when the President created more districts. Delimitation

Teams were sent into the field with their computers capturing coordinates and

updating the maps instantly after the stakeholders’ sittings. New wards and

polling districts were generated at the earliest possible time with all relevant

details captured objectively.


MEC Scenario

Malawi has 4 political regions, 35 councils, 462 wards and 4, 445 polling centres

polling districts.

Advantages of digital maps

It is easy to merge the map with data from other Government Departments.

It is customized/tailor made to the user.

It is easy to retrieve maps for reference.

It is easy to produce various types of reports

With Biometric Voter Registration system voters are properly directed to

right/nearest polling station from where they will cast their votes depending

on where they reside.

MEC Scenario Malawi has 4 political regions, 35 councils, 462 wards and 4, 445 polling centres polling districts. Lessons learnt

Tie a polling station to a polling district

RECOMMENDATION There is need to review the electoral laws to incorporate the concept of

polling district. This will enable voters to cast vote where they reside and

contribute directly to development of their areas. For example in Blantyre City

Council, Tax Office Polling Centre; for registration there is no problem if BVR is

introduced then it can be maintained as a registration centre. But for polling,

voters’ interest is on the President not the Member of Parliament or

Councilor. This is evidenced by a voter who resides in Chilobwe but casting a

vote at this centre meaning that he has voted for an MP or a Councilor who

will have no influence on development of where he resides.

The introduction of polling districts will also assist in the identification of

catchment area for the registration centre / Polling stations.


5.0 VOTER EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY DEPARTMENT

There is a Voter Education Committee of the Commission which provides Voter

Education policies on how voter education should be issued out to stakeholders

The structure of Voter Education is as follows;

5.1 National Voter Education Committee

This committee is comprised of CSOs on Voter Education at National level, church

mother bodies ,Christian council of churches, evangelical fellowships ,Pentecostal

mother body, Zambia Police, ACB, Drug enforcement Commission, Zambia

National Information Services, Transparency International, Women`s lobby group

and caritas. Their major responsibility is the formulation of Voter Education

materials. ECZ has capacity challenge to train people on materials development.

5.2 District Voter Education Committee (DVEC)

Each Council has a DVEC coordinator. The TC is the secretary to DVEC. All national

members are also district members at that level.

In each Ward, 2 Voter Education facilitators are recruited

In 2011, District Voter Education Trainers were established. Two trainers at

district level were trained at Provincial level. When they went back to districts

they trained two Ward facilitators. This is done under the supervision of ECZ.

Publicity of Voter Education information is done through radio, TV programs,

drama, print media, leaflets and brochures (given to facilitators in wards). This is

supervised by DVEC.

5.3 Voter Education Resource Centre

The ECZ has a Voter Education Resource Centre which is a brainchild of Australia

Electoral Commission Resource Centre.

The centre is meant to enhance voter education and information dissemination to

various categories of citizens such as school going children from Primary to

Secondary School, Teachers, College / University Students, Researchers, Civil

Society, Faith Based Organisations, Politicians, Youth Organisations, individual


members of the public, Zambians and non Zambians. It is also part of the

continued efforts by the Commission to provide continuous voter education.

The resource centre is fitted with modern interact information technology

equipment loaded with voter information and the register of voters. Information

on the operations of the Commission and Zambia’s Electoral Process is displayed

on the wall. Visitors to the centre watch a documentary on the history of

democracy in Zambia and will be provided with brochures and fliers with voter

education.

The centre offers a range of programmes designed to suit various ages and

interests. Individuals can choose from:

1. Candidate nomination

2. Voting day

3. Election Results management

4. Election observation and monitoring

5. Personalized or tailored programmes

A group of individuals or organizations can request for special presentations that

may suit their needs. For example, a political party may request for a presentation

on candidate nominations, while a group of election monitors may request for a

presentation on election observation / monitoring.

5.4 Stakeholder Engagement on Voter Education

The ECZ through the Voter Education Department sensitizes political parties and

Traditional Leaders to support Voter Education facilitators in Wards.

Schools are also engaged on Voter education by forming VE School Clubs. During

schools exhibitions, the Department of Voter Education also goes to showcase

what they have about voter education.

Lessons Learnt:

The establishment of a resource Centre and school programmes

Translation of voter education materials into Braille and sign language


Involvement of the physically challenged persons in materials development

and production

Establishment of National Voter Education Committee

District Voter Education Committees (DVEC)

Stakeholder engagement on Voter Education

Engagement of Voter education facilitators in Wards

Efforts in building the image of the Commission

Embracing the media houses instead of fighting( being antagonistic)

The failure of road shows to attract would be voters as road shows only

attract the youths who are not of voting age

Engagement of consultants in development of publicity materials

Various ways of publicity campaign

Recommendation:

The team highly recommend for the establishment of Voter Education

Resource center. In Zambia it has proved to be beneficial to the Commission

and nation as a whole.

6.0 LEGAL DEPARTMENT

Electoral Commission of Zambia has a fully established legal unit to look into all

electoral litigations as expeditiously as possible so that the integrity of the

Commission is not diluted by unwarranted law suits. This is against the

background that hired lawyers sometimes drug legal issues.

MEC Scenario

The Commission does not have an established Legal Unit.

Lesson Learnt

Establishment of a Legal Department

Drafting of electoral laws

Speed in concluding electoral court cases


Recommendation

It is recommended that MEC should have its own fully fledged Legal Unit to

look into electoral cases so that they are finalized within the shortest possible

time. This is in line with Strategic Plan Thematic Area No.2 Strategic Goal No.

2, Specific Objective 2 as stipulated on page 15.

7.0 PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT/SECTION

ECZ has a Procurement Section manned by a Head with 3 subordinates (2

Procurement Officers and 1 Assistant Procurement Officer)

The section works in coordination with user departments, Finance and Stores.

During budgeting, the section is involved much with costing.

After consolidation of all departmental budgets into a master budget, the

Procurement Section draws its plan in consultation with all departments as the

first step towards implementation of the budget. In the plan they will indicate

general names of items, their specifications, quantity, expected date of delivery,

lead time, type of procurement method, expected time of initiating the

procurement process and the budget line of each item.

During implementation the section reminds user departments to initiate the

process for those items which are due on the plan to ensure that activities do not

miss targets. All elections related procurement is treated as project procurement.

7.1 Procurement procedures

User Departments prepare requisitions to Procurement Department on what they

want to procure

The user department raises a requisition with items properly specified. The

requisition goes to stores for verification of quantities against stock. This ensures

that only materials which are not in stock and shortfalls are purchased.


The requisitions have to go through all approval stages. The Finance Department

also has to endorse that money for the requested items is available by checking in

the relevant Budget lines.

This requisition then comes to Procurement Office for procurement processes to

commence

7.2 Methods / types of procurement

ECZ uses four methods of procurement which are shopping, open tender,

selective tender and direct contract. This is done with guidelines from Zambia

Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) through the Internal Procurement

Committee which has two consultants as independent decision makers so that

ECZ gets more value from the money to be spent. The procurement method

depends on the value of the items requested and technical specifications.

Upon identifying a supplier and contract finalized the user department is involved

in the management of the contract. Penalties are given to suppliers for late

deliveries and sub-standard supplies.

Upon delivery, Stores section inspects the consignment so as to confirm if it

conforms to the specifications requested. An inspection certificate is issued by

Stores Section accepting or rejecting the lot. This is to ensure that the

organization derives the maximum value from the money spent.

It is Procurement Section’s responsibility to carry out regular follow up on

suppliers so as to find out if they are facing challenges in meeting the deadlines,

and specifications. The user department is regularly updated on the same.

In extreme cases, orders are cancelled. The procurement contract has such

clauses for breach of delivery time as well as supplying substandard materials.

List of suppliers is updated on regular basis to ensure that only reliable suppliers

are maintained.

ECZ has a threshold of up to 50, 000 Zambian kwacha beyond which the approval

is required from ZPPA. For elections materials, procurement commences much

earlier so that there is no delay in supplying of materials by suppliers which could

have negative effect in the implementation of electoral activities.


Lesson Learnt

Sun System software that coordinates Finance, Elections, Procurement and Stores

Management of contract by user department

Regular status updates

Penalties on untrustworthy suppliers

Composition of IPC (comprised of two external members)

8.0 FINANCE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

The role of the department is financial management. During planning, the

department submits assumptions based on economic trends to all other

departments to enable them prepare budgets for their respective departments.

Budgets are discussed and consolidated to come up with master budget. These

are in two categories i.e. Elections Budget and ORT.

The Finance Department submits the budgets to Parliament and they are required

to defend the same.

Development Partners access the budget from the Treasury and pledge their

areas of support. From experience, Development Partners preference has been

capacity building. Funds for such areas are remitted direct to Treasury. The

budget is approved and funds remitted in full.

In case, Treasury does not release funds for elections then the Treasury becomes

answerable to the public.

In the course of budget implementation, the Commission where necessary is

allowed to submit a supplementary election budget to ensure that operations are

not disrupted due to lack of funds.

After approval of the budget, departments draw calendars of activities which also

assist the department in cash flow management.

All payments are prepared at the Head Office however during elections it is not

possible for the department to be physically available in all districts. This being

the case they use district council structures to implement programmes.


All councils are advised to open a bank account specifically and dedicated to

elections’ funds. Bank charges for these accounts are paid by ECZ. The

Commission has the right to monitor all transactions in these accounts.

At the council, the Finance Officer is appointed as the controller of this account

and is held fully liable for any mismanagement. Then a cashier and stores clerk

are appointed as council finance team. These are entitled to monthly allowance

during elections. All these are supervised by the District Elections Officer who is a

council secretary.

8.1 Briefing of Council Finance teams during Electoral activities

All Council Finance Teams are invited to the Head Office to undergo training on

how the elections accounts should be managed.

During operations ECZ transfers fund directly into councils’ accounts. Councils are

given copies of budget to guide them in making payments. Each activity has its

own budget line. The Finance Officer is not allowed to vary the budget lines

without written approval from the Deputy Director Finance on recommendation

from the Director.

The Finance Officer is required to account for all the finances given to the council

within seven days after each activity. If this fails, ECZ instructs the bank to transfer

the balance back into its main account.

Internal Audit Department conducts checks and balances in all councils

immediately after an activity and any adverse variances on transactions are

recovered from the council’s team allowance.

In case of misappropriation, the Commission is able to prosecute the involved

officer through the Local Government Service Commission which is a mother body

of all council staff.

Challenges

Like any other support department, it has challenges and one of them is lack of

proper planning and coordination from other departments whereby they would

want payments to be effected at the shortest, period when in fact even banks are

closed.


Lessons Learnt:

Budgeting and presentation of the same

Decentralization of payment systems where Council officers are given the

money to pay out and then liquidate the same

Coordination at council level

District Electoral Account during electoral activity

Government honors the budget in full

Elections budget is protected

9.0 INTERNAL AUDIT DEPARTMENT

ECZ has an Internal Audit Department manned by a Manager and four Internal

Auditors. The Department was established eight years ago. Prior to that, the

internal auditing was done by the Finance Department.

Types of Audit the Department undertakes

1. Pre Audit of payment

2. Post Audit of an activity

3. Financial audit

4. Performance audit

5. IT Audits on IT Systems

6. Special audit at request of management

The department reports to Audit Committee which comprises of four external

members drawn from Zambia Public Procurement Authority, the Accountancy

Board, and the Law Association of Zambia among others. The Chairperson of the

committee is elected from the members. However the Director (CEO) is an ex-

officio member. The committee reports to the Commissioners on a quarterly basis

who further forward the audit to Secretariat (Management)

External Audits are carried out by only Auditors from Accountant General’s office.

These collaborate with the Internal Auditors as their scope of audit is normally

based on the internal audit periodic reports.


Basically the department’s function is to provide assurance services on systems,

policies and procedures put in place in the attainment of organizational objectives

as laid down in the Strategic Plan.

In addition to financial audit the department also does performance audit on all

departments in order to assess if their departmental plans and objectives are in

line with the organization’s strategic plan using balanced score card method then

advise on what can be done to seal the gaps identified. It works to see what value

the department can add to the commission using available resources.

The department is currently building its capacity to carry out performance audit

on Information Technology (IT) department.

9.1 Audit on payments

The department carries out critical pre-audits on all payments made at the Head

Office in order to minimize queries and risks. Post activity audits on all electoral

activities are carried out at district council level on all electoral activities taking

place in Councils.

9.2 Auditing of district councils

All district council members of staff engaged in electoral activities are properly

trained before elections on how to handle election related activities. Database

regarding the staff is regularly updated. This ensures that council staff is

conversant and responsible enough for the errands.

In case of malpractice the council staff is prosecuted through their respective

Provincial Authority.

In order to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in accountability council audits are

carried out immediately after every activity so that recoveries are done in time.

Where records are not tallying and the Auditor is beyond doubt that there is a

misappropriation/non accountability of funds the amount is recovered from all

council staff as a team through their monthly allowances.

On fuel accountability, the department does not only rely on receipts but also

other fuel utilization form. ECZ deposits the payment with the fuel suppliers. For

each activity, a separate cheque is issued and instructs the council to draw from

the specific filling station. During audit the records at the council are compared


with the fuel supplier’s report. Councils are required not to vary funds on budget

lines as they carry out activities unless a clearance has been granted by the

Director of Elections in writing.

On materials, the department ensures that they are accounted for at each and

every stage as this has been one of the areas external auditors misrepresent

information thereby denting an organization’s reputation. The department

ensures that there is always proper documentation at every stage as materials

change hands during distribution and retrieval. Drivers are briefed on how to

distribute elections materials before activities start.

During distribution drivers are given delivery notes to be signed by district council

election officers confirming receipt and copies filed at the Head Office. This makes

drivers accountable for their role played in the activity.

If materials miss in the field, the cost of the missing items is surcharged on the

team involved. Where sums to be recovered are too huge, the Ministry of Local

Government to whom council staff is accountable as their employer is also

engaged to assist in the recoveries. Reconciliation is done at every stage/level.

Lesson Learnt:

Financial Pre audits

Performance audit

IT Systems audit

Composition of Audit Committee

10.0 HUMAN RESOURCES & ADMINISTRATION

The Department is headed by Human Resources Manager. This deals much with

recruitment, transport and training among others.

10.1 Recruitment

The general policy is for permanent staff to grow with the institution whereby

most of the posts are filled internally. However where the skills and capabilities

are lacking internally they source from outside.


The department ensures that a right person is placed at a right position for

effective attainment of organizational goals and objectives.

Recruitment of field staff is done at council level through the District Elections

Officers. Vacant positions are advertised and interviews conducted. Those

successful their names are displayed on notice boards to allow the public vet

them before they are trained. Appointment depends on one’s performance

during training. Once appointed, the field staff report to the councils. In case of

disciplinary matters, they are resolved at the council level and the DEO reports

the outcome to ECZ HQ.

Lesson Learnt

Delegated authority to councils on recruitment of field staff

Enhancing skills retention; by prioritizing internal staff on vacant positions.

Transport management with the presence of a service bay to cater for minor

services and vehicle maintenance and routine checks

Availability of vehicles for electoral activities

Flexibility in hiring of vehicles to meet the shortfall

Management of fuel in councils by council staff

11.0 FOR IMMEDIATE IMPLEMENTATION The Registration hand book and Polling Procedure manuals to start with the

vision, mission and core values of the Commission.

Structure of the Commission should be spelt out clearly

Arrows for directing registrants/voters at the centre,

Route plan for deployment of staff and materials should be made available

during deployment.

Material accountability immediately after handing over results and before

staff get paid.

Marking of the polling area as out of bound with reflective tape.

Ball point pens should be those with a base and string so that they are just fix

in the booth. No need for strings.


Ballot Papers

Sample of Ballot paper should be pasted in the polling booth during polling as

part of voter education and also enhancing transparency.

The size of the ballot paper to be revisited so as to efficiently make use of the

paper

Development of handbooks

Development of Elections Officer’s handbook Development of Electoral Regulations Demarcation

Demarcating of polling districts as catchment areas for polling station.


12.0 CONCLUSION Generally the team has noted that there is political will in the management of

elections. This is evidenced by how the elections budget is funded for the running

of elections.

There is also close collaboration amongst various sections of the Commission. This

makes it easy for coordination in the implementation of electoral activities.

In view of the various lessons learnt in the entire electoral cycle, it is highly

recommended that for the improvement in the management of elections, this

programme should extend to other members of staff covering all directorates so

that we draw in a lot of expertise from this programme in order for us to enrich

our elections management skills. This if done will ultimately help in having

elections which are handled in a professional and credible manner as well as

ensuring that stakeholders have confidence and trust in the manner that Malawi

Electoral Commission handles its elections. This therefore calls for a wider range

of staff to be exposed to such placement programmes as a way of skills

enhancement in the management of elections.

It is further recommended that finances allowing, officers could also be availed to

Electoral Commission of Zambia for the practical nature in Management of

elections as most of what was learnt in the study visit was on a theoretical

approach as most of the time was spent with officers in their respective offices.

We are optimistic that management would agree with the team’s

recommendations and endeavor to implement them once the report has been

accepted and adopted

It can be concluded that the programme is of paramount importance to the

Commission especially taking into consideration the team’s direct involvement in

elections. With the lessons learnt and the experiential learning, the programme

has greatly broadened the experience for the team thereby enhancing the quality

and conduct of future elections.

The team therefore would like to thank the Executive management for the United

Nations Development Programme (Malawi) and Malawi Electoral Commission for

the opportunity accorded to them to participate in the programme.

undp emb placement programme placement... · 2.1 annual work plan ... 3.1 biometric voter...

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