TWO ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS RAISES CONCERNS OVER POLL STAFF IRREGULARITIES IN LIVINGSTONE DIOCESE
TWO ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS RAISES CONCERNS OVER POLL STAFF IRREGULARITIES IN LIVINGSTONE DIOCESE
In a recent development within the Livingstone Diocese, two Roman Catholic priests—who opted to remain anonymous—have withdrawn from their roles as polling staff for the upcoming electoral exercise.
Their withdrawal stems from serious concerns about the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s (ECZ) handling of polling staff appointments, specifically regarding a secret list allegedly composed of personnel who neither participated in the prescribed training nor completed the mandatory aptitude test.
These priests expressed a commitment to electoral integrity, emphasizing that participating in an election process compromised by undisclosed procedural changes would contradict their ethical responsibilities.
They described the imposed list of polling staff as “bogus,” highlighting that legitimate, trained individuals who were initially approved had inexplicably been replaced.
Their request for clarification—addressing why the initial, legitimate list was abandoned in favor of this new roster—went unanswered by the ECZ, reinforcing their decision to disassociate from what they termed a “sham electoral exercise.”
This is not an isolated incidence but a national crisis.