An assessment of the effectiveness of electoral conflict resolution management committees in Zambia: a case study of Namwala district conflict management committee.

This study is an assessment of the effectiveness of the Namwala district electoral conflict
management committee in resolving electoral conflicts. Despite the Committee‘s its
establishment in 2001, the electoral conflicts in the district have been escalating which even
led the ECZ to suspend the campaigns in the 2016 general elections for ten days. The study
used a qualitative descriptive research design and found that while the committee have
powers and responsibilities to mediate electoral disputes, they still cannot make certain
decisions which are a reserved for ECZ and the Judiciary. The committee decisions are nonbinding
and therefore their impact on resolving the electoral conflicts to an extent is not
considered serious compared to the decisions which are made by the courts of law.
Inadequate training of the CMC members, an ad hoc membership arrangement, and
inadequate provision of the law are some of the challenges that greatly impact on the CMC
effectiveness in resolving electoral conflicts. Therefore, the study has established that
increment of awareness, provision of adequate training and materials, strengthening of the
legal framework are some of the factors that could help in curbing electoral conflicts. ECZ
and all political players should have a platform of discussing electoral issues before, during
and even after elections.