Tonse Pamodzi, Woza Alliance alleges widespread interference in vote count, demands ECZ transparency

Tonse, Pamodzi, Woza Alliance alleges widespread interference in vote count, demands ECZ transparency The Tonse, Pamodzi, Woza Alliance has issued a strongly worded statement alleging a widespread pattern of interference in the counting, verification and declaration of Zambia’s…

Tonse, Pamodzi, Woza Alliance alleges widespread interference in vote count, demands ECZ transparency

The Tonse, Pamodzi, Woza Alliance has issued a strongly worded statement alleging a widespread pattern of interference in the counting, verification and declaration of Zambia’s presidential election results, and has demanded that the Electoral Commission of Zambia account for every Gen 20 form and disclose the whereabouts of detained political figures.

Addressing the ECZ, the church, civil society, domestic and international observers, diplomatic missions and the wider international community, a leader of the Alliance said what was unfolding could no longer reasonably be dismissed as isolated incidents.

“Reports reaching us point to a disturbing and increasingly widespread pattern involving interference with electoral officers, threats against retaining officers, missing and allegedly stolen Gen 20 forms, questionable alteration of electoral records, interference by security agencies, intimidation of accredited political agents, and a crackdown on opposition leaders and persons playing pivotal roles in this election,” the Alliance said.

The Alliance said Gen 20 forms were fundamental to the aggregation, verification and declaration of results at presidential level, and that any unlawful interference with their custody, movement or contents struck directly at the credibility of the election and the constitutional right of Zambians to determine who governs them.

Detained persons

Of grave concern, the Alliance said, was what it described as a widespread crackdown on opposition leaders, officials, lawyers and other persons playing pivotal roles in the electoral process. It said it had received reports that opposition figures and their associates had been taken into custody, with some allegedly held incommunicado, denied access to lawyers and prevented from communicating with their families.

The Alliance named several individuals it said had been affected, including lawyer George Sanga, UNIP President Bishop Trevor Mwamba, former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya, and others named in the recording as Chester, Rooney, Zubi, Richard Banda, Felix Piri and Patrick Mwanza. Some of these names were difficult to verify with certainty from the audio recording relied upon for this report.

The Alliance called on authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts and legal status of every detained person, along with the legal basis for their detention and any charges against them. Where individuals remain in custody, it said, they must be given immediate access to lawyers and families and accorded full protection of due process.

“You cannot have a free and fair election in an atmosphere of terror, intimidation and manipulation. An election is not free merely because citizens were permitted to cast ballots. The process must remain free and fair through voting, counting, tallying, verification, district resolution and final declaration,” the Alliance said.

Provinces flagged for interference

The Alliance said it continued to receive disturbing reports from Central, Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces involving high levels of interference with electoral officials, threats directed at officers entrusted with electoral materials, and irregularities in the verification of results. It said this included reports of missing and allegedly stolen Gen 20 forms, attempts to obtain these documents outside established procedures, and pressure on officials responsible for their custody.

Considered alongside reports already received from Southern and North-Western provinces, the Alliance said these allegations required immediate national attention. It insisted that every Gen 20 form must be accounted for, that every movement of an original form must have a lawful and verifiable chain of custody, and that every electoral officer must be protected from political, administrative and security-sector interference.

On specific constituencies, the Alliance said serious questions had arisen over how electoral processes had reportedly been concluded in Kalulushi, Bwana Mkubwa, Chawama, Kabwata and Kanyama, among others, and that the circumstances required transparent scrutiny and reconciliation. It said the ECZ should make available the relevant polling-station-level results and permit reconciliation against original Gen 20 forms and contemporaneous copies held by candidates, parties, monitors and accredited stakeholders.

The Alliance singled out Matero as an example of what it called wider irregularities being reported nationally, citing allegations ranging from alteration of results and interference by security agencies to threats and pressure directed at returning officers. It said Matero could not be treated as an isolated local dispute, and that similar allegations from different parts of the country needed to be investigated collectively to determine whether a broader pattern of interference existed.

Southern Province turnout

The Alliance also raised concern over reported turnout figures in Southern Province, describing what it called a substantial shift from figures below 50 per cent to approximately 70 per cent, and said this required transparent explanation and reconciliation against the underlying polling station records.

“We do not ask Zambians to accept allegations merely because they are being made. Equally, the country should not be expected to accept unexplained figures simply because they have been announced,” the Alliance said, calling on the ECZ to publish polling station figures, registered voter numbers, votes cast and corresponding Gen 20 forms so that turnout could be independently reconciled.

Accredited agents at Mulungushi

The Alliance said it was deeply concerned by reports that the ECZ had threatened its accredited agents at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre with withdrawal of accreditation when they raised questions or challenged aspects of the verification and tallying process. It said its agents were participants in the electoral process, not spectators, and that accreditation could not simultaneously be a licence to participate and a tool to silence participation.

The Alliance demanded that the ECZ immediately assure all accredited agents that no accreditation would be withdrawn merely for raising legitimate objections, questioning figures, identifying procedural shortcomings, or insisting on reconciliation against Gen 20 forms. It further called for reasonable prior notice of which constituency results would next be presented for verification, so that agents could retrieve corresponding records in time to participate meaningfully.

“Do not threaten agents for asking questions. Answer the questions. Do not silence objections. Resolve them. Do not rush disputed results. Reconcile them. Do not demand blind acceptance. Produce the documentary record,” the Alliance said.

Role of security agencies

The Alliance said it had previously raised concerns over reports alleging the involvement of intelligence and military personnel in the handling and movement of election materials. It said security institutions existed to protect the republic and its people and must never become instruments for influencing an electoral outcome, insisting that where security agencies were deployed at tallying centres, their role must remain strictly lawful, neutral and limited to legitimate security functions.

The Alliance’s demands

The Alliance listed a series of immediate demands to the ECZ and relevant authorities: protect electoral and returning officers from intimidation and interference; account for every original Gen 20 form, including those reported missing or stolen; conduct polling-station-by-polling-station reconciliation wherever presidential results are genuinely disputed; investigate reported irregularities in Matero, Kalulushi, Bwana Mkubwa, Chawama, Kabwata, Kanyama and any other affected constituency; reconcile turnout figures in Southern Province; disclose any role played by security agencies in handling electoral materials; stop threatening accredited agents at Mulungushi; give reasonable notice of constituency results to be considered next; and immediately disclose the whereabouts and legal status of detained opposition figures, guaranteeing them access to lawyers and due process.

The Alliance appealed to domestic and international observers, the church, civil society, the Law Association of Zambia, diplomatic missions and regional bodies to pay attention not only to the final numbers being announced, but to the environment in which those numbers are being produced, challenged and verified.

“Power belongs to the people. This country does not belong to a government, political party, electoral institution, security agents or an individual. Political power is entrusted by the people through the ballot. It cannot legitimately be acquired or retained through fear, intimidation, manipulation or interference with electoral records,” the Alliance said.

The Alliance urged Zambians to remain peaceful but vigilant, to protect and preserve copies of Gen 20 forms, document irregularities, report intimidation and reject violence, while pursuing only lawful and constitutional remedies.

Closing the statement, the Alliance leader offered reassurance to supporters. “I wish to assure you that the President is okay. He’s in high spirits. He’s determined to ensure that this process is legitimately concluded,” he said, without clarifying to whom the reference was made. He said the leadership of the Alliance was determined that the final determination of the election would reflect what belongs to the people, and appealed for calm while the process continued.

The Alliance’s claims come days after government officials separately dismissed related allegations, including claims that Kafwaya had been shot and admitted to a military hospital, as fabrications, and after Kafwaya’s own family issued a statement saying they had been unable to establish his whereabouts since 14 August. The ECZ had not responded to the Alliance’s specific allegations at the time of this report.