Strengthening Electoral Processes in Zambia

Results achieved as of the end of the project (March 2012) include: (i) registering 86% of eligible voters before the 2011 national elections (of whom 51% in North Western Province and 52% in Southern Province were women); (ii) 100 women leaders participated in a conference on women’s political leadership which led to an action plan and more women ready to stand as candidates in the 2011 elections; (iii) training 26 staff members from the Electoral Commission of Zambia 672 District Electoral Officers and over 50 000 polling staff to effectively manage election day; (iv) training 186 media practitioners in ethical reporting and reducing elections-related violence; (v) training 1 442 voter education facilitators (including training to promote youth participation); (vi) training 185 traditional leaders in civic and voter education; (vii) developing a new results management system to facilitate the transmission of election results to the public within 48 hours after the closing of voting polls; and (viii) developing a legislative review process for electoral proceedings to ensure their fairness and transparency. These results contributed to strengthening the overall integrity of the electoral process in Zambia particularly the credibility and transparency of the tripartite elections held on September 20 2011. The results also helped to improve the effectiveness and coordination of the Zambia's Electoral Commission and Department of National Registration civil society organizations and media.