By Austin Kaluba –
THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has revised nomination fees for all aspiring candidates in this year’s general elections following appeals from stakeholders.
In a Press release availed to media houses yesterday, ECZ public relations manager Cris Akufuna said presidential candidates would now pay K60,000, parliamentary K7,500, mayoral K5,000, council chairperson K2,000, councillor (city and municipalities) K750 and councillor (district councils) K400.
“The commission will make arrangements to refund the difference to political parties that have paid the nomination fees in full,” he said.
Mr Akufuna said the upward revision of fees announced on February 4, 2016, were necessitated by several considerations, among them, the obligation of ECZ to sponsor political party agents to observe the printing of ballot papers whose expenses the commission foots, and issuance of a copy to the registrar of voters for the entire country and presidential candidates free of charge.
He, however, added that despite these costs on the part of the commission, stakeholders felt the revised fees were still too high.
