The Patriotic Front (PF) is demanding to see the delimitation report by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).
This is the same report handed over to the PF government on 15th February 2020.
We have noted that the PF cohorts are standing on anti-hills, demanding to see the ECZ’s delimitation report to support the constitutional amendment proposal to increase the number of constituencies. 
It is playing double standard fir the PF to demand the Delimitation Report today. It is common knowledge that PF already have this report because they were in power when the ECZ presented it their government. It is the same report that the UPND government is using to delimitate the constituencies.
The problem with the PF is that they always live, dream, and believe in tribalism. Their lenses always contain tribal element. They see tribalism in everything.
The UPND has not carried out any new delimitation survey. The last survey was conducted by the PF government in 2019.
For starters, the ECZ conducted the delimitation consultations across the country between May and November 2019.
Justice Essau Chulu, the then ECZ chairperson, stated at the time that the delimitation exercise, which was to be undertaken in all provinces and districts countrywide, was commencing on a Monday, July 8, 2019.
Here is the breakdown of the process, which involved various stages of consultation:
- May 2019: Briefing meetings were held with district electoral officers (town clerks, council secretaries, and planning officers) across all 116 districts.
- Late May & June 2019: Consultative meetings were held with key stakeholders, including the House of Chiefs (May 27), political parties (June 20), civil society organizations, faith-based organisations, and Members of Parliament on June 26.
- July – September 2019: The ECZ held extensive district-level public sittings across all districts to receive submissions from the general public and stakeholders.
- October – November 2019: Provincial sittings were conducted to review and consider the submissions received from the districts.
- The delimitation report was officially handed over to then-President Edgar Lungu by the ECZ on February 15, 2020.
The PF government has never made this report public, yet they are in the forefront demanding for the same report to be made public! Hypocrisy!
From 15th February 2020 to 11th August 2021, the day the PF was kicked out of power, why didn’t they make the report public?
President Hakainde Hichilema has not sanctioned any new delimitation survey. The delimitation will be based on the 2020 delimitation report.
Other than hate, there is nothing sinister here!
Let the bill be debated before parliament. Let the MPs support this bill because it answers some of their concerns from their respective constituencies.
The Oasis Forum and some of their financiers do not have constituencies. They do not understand what is at stake.
Let Bill 7 pass and become law.
