The role of selected civil society organizations in the management of electoral conflicts in Chilanga district of Zambia.

Abstract

The last two decades has witnessed a tremendous growth of Civil Society Organizations, this is due to globalization of social, economic, environmental issues and democracy. The study sought to explore the role of selected Civil Society Organizations in the management of electoral conflicts in Chilanga district of Zambia. The objectives of the study were to: establish the role of selected Civil Society Organizations in the management of electoral conflicts in Chilanga district, establish the effectiveness of selected Civil Society Organizations in the management of electoral conflicts in Chilanga district and to identify the challenges of selected Civil Society Organizations face in the management of electoral conflicts in Chilanga district. The study sample was 50, consisting 10 electorates, 20 politicians from the opposition parties and ruling party, 10 from the Electoral Commission of Zambia and 10 from SACCORD and FODEP. Semi-interview guide was used to collect data from the respondents. In addition, an observation checklist was used to verify the role of Civil Society Organizations in the management of electoral conflicts in Chilanga district of Zambia. Purposive sampling procedure was used to select the respondents. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data finding. Findings show that FODEP and SACCORD have a significant role to play in the management of electoral conflicts in Chilanga. The findings also established that FODEP and SACCORD create awareness by educating the general public on the importance of democracy and good governance. Further, the findings established that FODEP and SACCORD did not effectively manage the electoral conflicts in Chilanga due to escalated electoral conflicts. The findings revealed that the Electoral Commission of Zambia did not involve FODEP and SACCORD in resolving electoral conflicts. The recommendations of the study were: the Electoral Commission of Zambia should fully involve CSOs in the management of electoral conflicts and the Government of Zambia should implement policies that will allow Civil Society Organizations to function freely. Conflict management should be taught in Schools, Colleges, Universities and Communities.