Zambia’s electoral body on Friday launched the electronic inspection of the provisional voters’ register ahead of general elections slated for this year.

The exercise will run from February 7 until May 7 this year ahead of the August 12 general elections.

Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Chief Electoral Officer Patrick Nshindano said the electronic-based inspections will involve the use of a website platform and mobile phone platforms.

“In our quest to be innovative and provide convenience for the registered voters, we have devised electronic means of verification of voter details on the provisional register especially now that the country has not been spared by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he told reporters during a press briefing.

Zambia conducted a voter registration exercise last year in which about 7 million people registered.

The electoral body embarked on a new registration exercise in order to update the register and capture new voters who had attained the voting age.

Meanwhile, the electoral body said elections will go ahead despite the COVID-19 pandemic.