Pretoria – Wednesday 19th April 2023
Zambia National Women’s Lobby Senior Programme Officer Evans Kunda has described the just-ended Africa Elections Watch 2023 Conference organized by the Elections Support Network – Southern Africa (ESN-SA) with support from the International Republican Institute (IRI) as insightful.
Mr. Kunda says Zambia’s presence at the conference was important because it provided a learning and information-sharing platform for people from other countries and backgrounds where various issues relating to election monitoring were discussed.
He says one of the topics covered was on best practices during an election at which electoral experts from the SADC region described Zambia as the best example because of how it has been managing elections effectively and efficiently, with the 2021 polls being one of the highlights.
“It was elating to be acknowledged as a country that we have remained a beacon of peace and a shining example of where our democracy is really maturing with reference to how elections are held and this should continue,” Mr Kunda said.
He said managing elections effectively was one of the major achievements towards shaping society and contributing towards national development and that networking and building relationships with different stakeholders is important.
Meanwhile, Christian Churches Monitoring Group (CCMG) Program Manager Peter Mwanang’ombe says improving electoral integrity by bringing together some of Africa’s most experienced electoral integrity experts to address the fundamentals of electoral insecurity was the hallmark of the Election Watch Symposium 2023 Conference.
Mr. Mwanang’ombe says it was a great experience for Zambia to be part of the high-level meeting which brought together different stakeholders to discuss challenges and recommendations for safer, more transparent, and credible elections in Africa.
The Election Support Network of Southern Africa (ESN-SA) is a regional network of 15 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working in the area of elections in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, established in January 1998.
The conference was held in Johannesburg, South Africa and attracted 20 African countries with different stakeholders.
Issued by Tamara Nyirenda
First Secretary Press and Public Relations.
Zambia High Commission.
South Africa
press@zambiapretoria.net
