An Zambian official has suggested amending the constitution to allow prisoners to vote in general elections, the Zambia Daily Mail reported on Wednesday.
Head of public relations for Ministry of Home Affairs, Moses Suwali, said there was need to undertake feasibility studies on how countries like South Africa and the Netherlands have managed to organize prisoners in voting.
“This is an important area that has been overlooked for a long time and is worth exploring,” he was quoted as saying by the paper.
It is the prisoners’ fundamental right to vote, he said.
Feasibility studies should also take into consideration if election campaigns can be allowed to take place in prisons and whether polling stations can be set up in prisons or prisoners will be taken to existing polling stations, he added.
There has been organization in Zambia advocating the voting rights of prisoners. Enditem
