The three church mother bodies, the Council of Churches in Zambia, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia and the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops, have signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) to monitor elections in a bid to safeguard democracy in the country.

Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia president, Bishop Paul Mususu, says the partnership is rooted in the premise of effective monitoring of the electoral process and the promotion of credible elections.

Addressing the media during the signing of the MoU in Lusaka, Bishop Mususu observed that the decision by the consortium is to enhance transparency, accountability and integrity in the electoral process.

He explained that the church occupies an important position in society and has a critical role to play before, during and after elections.

Bishop Mususu noted that the consortium calling itself Christian Churches Monitoring Group (CCMG), will facilitate a platform for information gathering during elections.

Bishop Mususu noted that the CCMG will execute its work through systematic and non-partisan observation and monitoring of electoral activities to enhance community and policy engagements.

“It is a collective honour to officially unveil this important collaboration of the three church mother bodies towards its work in strengthening genuine democratic electoral processes, and encouraging citizen participation in democratic governance in Zambia,” he said.

He added that the consortium began on November 28, 2014, when three church mother bodies came together to monitor the 2015 general elections.

And CCMG steering committee Chairperson, Andrew Mwenda, said the signing of the MoU is a collective effort to strengthen the voice and impact of the faith community in promoting transparency, accountability and integrity in Zambia’s democratic process.

He reiterated the church’s commitment in being stewards of justice, peace and equity for the people of Zambia.