By Anthony Chomba,
A consortium of civil society organisations has unveiled a proposed model for constituency boundary changes as provincial consultations by the Electoral Commission of Zambia continue across the country.
Consortium chairperson Isaac Mwanza says the proposal is meant to contribute to the discussions already underway, using data from the 2022 Census and the 2021 voter register to promote transparency and fairness.
Mr. Mwanza stressed that constituencies are primarily established for electoral representation in line with Article 59 of the Constitution. He said seat allocation must reflect constitutional principles by considering surface area, population density, voter population and geographical features.
The proposed seat allocation are, Central Province – eight seats; Copperbelt – nine; Eastern – eight; Luapula – six; Lusaka – eight; Muchinga – five; Northern – six; North-Western – seven; Southern – eight; and Western – five.
Mr. Mwanza said the model seeks to balance population density, voter numbers, urban and rural considerations, and provincial geography, while remaining within internationally accepted voter deviation standards for equitable representation.
The consortium has urged stakeholders, including traditional leaders, to actively engage in the ongoing consultations and scrutinise the data presented. It has also called on political leaders to treat constitutional processes and customary authority as complementary in the delimitation exercise.
