After presenting the IMBISA statement there was some time to share on the political journey of the country.
A common concern seems to be the place of the media before, during and after the elections. Particularly in countries where there is only once voice and where opposition parties hardly get any space. It is also true that many people today turn to the "satellite TV" in order to hear other voices. For example it is very clear in the outskirts of Harare (Zimbabwe) where one finds lots of dishes outside the houses.
One sentence from the IMBISA statement was underlined and appreciated by the Bishops: the need to protect the vote, the voter, the result. In order to protect the result, in Zambia, votes are counted at every polling station before they are being sent to a central office. In this way, the risk of messing with ballot boxes is reduced. A huge amount of work was done to make sure that people understand that each vote counts and should be protected.
We also shared on the usual question... "why are you bishops involved in 'politics'?". The archbishop of Lusaka commented: "anything that affects the lives of the people affects us... being health, food security, education, elections".
