By Staff Reporter
Harare – The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has awarded a three-year contract to Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing of the United Arab Emirates to print and deliver ballot papers and other election materials.
This decision came after the Commission could not proceed with the contract with Ren Form CC of South Africa, as the bidder failed to comply with an action required by the solicitation document.
The company linked to controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo won a similar tender for Zimbabwe’s elections held in 2024 and was implicated in inflating election-related costs in a US$100 million deal with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
Ren Form CC was awarded another contract to design, print, supply, and deliver ballot papers in Namibia last year which was objected to by the opposition Popular Democratic Party (PDP) which argued that due to “Chivayo’s history and his alleged connections to corrupt dealings reported in the media…the integrity and credibility of the presidential and national elections would be undermined.”
ECZ Chief Electoral Officer Brown Kasaro says this prompted the Commission to engage the second-best evaluated bidder instead.
During a media briefing held in Lusaka, Monday, Kasaro said the Commission has since notified the public.
Kasaro also announced that the Commission will conduct a mass voter registration in the second quarter of 2025 ahead of the 2026 General Elections.
He said the mass voter registration will run for 60 days.
Kasaro added that the Commission will carry out the Certification of the Register of Voters for the 2026 General Election in April 2026.