USAID/Zambia Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance

USAID/Zambia

Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance

ZAMBIA POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AND LEADERSHIP (ZPPL)

The political system in Zambia has real potential to hold those who wield power accountable and promote citizen-responsive governance. USAID’s Political Participation and Leadership project works with national democratic champions to promote an inclusive, productive political system that can advance and sustain Zambia's long-term prosperity and stability.

Engaging Civil Society

The ZPPL project provides support to the Zambian electoral process through a coordinated, informed, and targeted reform agenda. This is done through the provision of technical and financial support to civil society and GRZ institutions to identify and prioritize areas for electoral framework and policy reform and to develop and implement an accompanying advocacy and implementation strategy.

Implemented by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), ZPPL provides a mechanism for citizens to dialogue with policymakers and civil society organizations and provide informed feedback. ZPPL improved citizen-led oversight and accountability in elections through the observation of by-elections, voter registration, and other preparatory activities in the lead-up to the August 2021 national elections. ZPPL also provided financial and technical assistance to the Christian Churches Monitoring Group (CCMG) to undertake a parallel vote tabulation.

Promote Dialogue on Inclusive Representation

Representation from diverse populations in the political process is an important part of the political process. ZPPL supports the inclusion of women and youth and enhances the knowledge of civil society organizations and citizens about the different types of Mixed Member Electoral Systems (MMES). This is a system in which voters choose a member of parliament and choose from another list a representative from a special category, i.e., women, youth, or persons living with disability (the groups of interest in Zambia), thereby increasing the representation of such groups of people in decision making. ZPPL also supports CSOs to advocate MMES to communities.

Improving Electoral Commission Capacity

Since the 2016 elections, Zambia’s electoral environment became increasingly fragile. Several incidents of electoral-related violence attest to this trend. Political party officials and their members are often the source of violence and related misunderstandings. District electoral officials are at the center of the electoral process by overseeing voter registration, filing of nomination papers, voting day, and voting counting. They are in regular interaction with political actors and require skills to mitigate conflict and the disruption of electoral activities. ZPPL supported the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to strengthen the capacity of electoral officials to work in these complex environments through building communication, negotiation, conflict management/prevention skills, and protocols. ZPPL also provided training to the ECZ’s Provincial and District support centers which provided troubleshooting and logistical support to the administration of elections.