The Electoral Commission of Zambia has noted with dismay the illegal recording of telephone conversations by some political party leaders whenever they engage Members and staff of the Commission.

TAKE NOTE that the Electoral Commission of Zambia has in line with the provisions of paragraph 8 (2) of the Electoral Code of Conduct prescribed that all political parties and candidates be entitled to thirty (30) seconds of airtime on the national broadcaster,  Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) for campaign advertisements per day up to 11th August, 2021. 

It is very disappointing that after 57 years of independence, Zambian politics have deteriorated so embarrassingly in the eyes of peace loving Zambians as evidenced by the current happenings in this period preceding the elections characterized by violence, use of vulgar language and cyber bulling to mention but a few. This situation, if not arrested, has the potential to lead to anarchy and consequently threaten the Peace the country has enjoyed for a long time.

In that briefing, the Commission noted with concern an increase in hate speech by political parties in their campaign messages. This is against the Electoral Code of Conduct and we called upon media houses not to entertain such utterances. As guided by the Electoral Code of Conduct, media houses were further asked to ensure that all adverts and political party programmes were recorded and stored for reference.