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Foundation for Democratic Process
FODEP
House, Omelo Mumba Road,
Rhodespark,,
Press statement
P. O. Box 32387,
Lusaka,
Zambia
Tel-fax:
236281/236275
E-mail: fodep@coppernet.zm
-mailE:
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20/05/2013
USE
THE BY-ELECTION TO PILOT THE TACTILE BALLOT PAPERS FOR THE BLIND, ECZ urged.
The
Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) should seize the opportunity in the
forthcoming parliamentary and local government by-elections to pilot the use of
the tactile ballot papers for the blind in the country.
Foundation
for Democratic Process (FODEP) feels it is the right time ECZ printed and
applied the tactile ballot at parliamentary and local government by-election
level to see how they would fare among the intended target group.
The
country may recall that in the 2011 general elections, the ECZ only produced
presidential tactile ballot papers for the blind which were not used or applied
effectively due to limited time. Since then, there have been few activities
around the popularization and application of the tactile ballot in the
electoral process for the blind voters in the country.
We
also wish to urge Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD) and other
disability movements in Zambia to help the ECZ locate such beneficiaries by
providing aggregated information on the registered blind or visually impaired
voters in the country. This will assist the ECZ print and target materials to
the right people in the right places.
FODEP would like to see the right to a secret
ballot for our sisters and brothers with disabilities respected in the
electoral process in Zambia.
Signed:
McDonald
Chipenzi
Executive
Director
______________________________________________________________________________
Executive
Committee (NEC): Mr. Shepherd
Chilombe; President, Mr. Martin Mbewe; Vice President, Mr. Jacob Goma; National Secretary, Ms. Rose Phiri; National Treasurer; Ms. Ethel
Mwanza; Vice-National Secretary, Mr. McDonald Chipenzi, Executive
Director
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