By CHUSA SICHONE –

THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has presented a K300 million budget to the Treasury for the forthcoming presidential by-election.
ECZ public relations manager Cris Akufuna said in an interview that the K344 million budget was currently under discussion among several cooperating partners.
The presidential by-election is set for January 20, 2015 and ECZ has set December 17, 18 and 19 this year as the nomination dates.
Aspiring candidates would be required to pay K10,000 non refundable nomination fee.
Mr Akufuna said the campaign period started yesterday and would end on January 19, 2015.
“The budget, we discussed already, we gave it to the Treasury. The budget that we prepared, which is still under discussion with cooperating partners in terms of what they are able to support, was about K344 million,” he said.
Mr Akufuna said the ongoing discussions bordered on what components the cooperating partners were willing to handle.
Following the announcement of the presidential by-election date, the Commission was in the process of announcing the election programme such as the nomination date and official launch of campaigns.
It is after the ECZ has announced the election timetable that political parties participating in the presidential election would officially start campaigning.
The Commission would also start replacing damaged and lost voters’ cards soon.
The seat fell vacant following the death of President Michael Sata on October 28, 2014 at King Edward VII Hospital in London.