Zambia

The Government of the republic of Zambia with support from UNDP has initiated a project to support the Zambian Electoral Cycle. The Project aims at providing support for strengthening the electoral process in Zambia by supporting capacity development of the Electoral Commission of Zambia [ECZ] national institutions and civil society organizations in organizing and managing the electoral process. In particular the project will support three distinctive actors: the Electoral Commission of Zambia: the Department of National Registration [DNRPC] of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Non-State actors. 

The Project cycle runs from 2009-2012 and is multilaterally funded by Canada, the European Commission, Finland and the Netherlands with a total budget of slightly over USD19 Million.  

The Government of the Republic of Zambia has demonstrated commitment to make certain that this project is a success through various developments. The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and the Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship (DNRPC) Office, which are the implementing agencies, have committed K26 Billion towards the entire budget through the Ministry of Finance and National Planning. In order to hasten the approval process, ECZ has undertaken Symposia with Members of Parliament (MPs) stressing the need to ensure that Continuous Voter Registration is funded entirely by the supplementary budget once it is tabled in parliament. 

Government ownership in the process of elections is an important stride towards fostering sustainable and holistic electoral systems in Zambia that encompass all stakeholders.