PRINTING of ballot papers has commenced in Dubai at a cost of about US$5 million, with Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing once again handling the exercise after printing ballot papers for the 2016 and 2021 elections. ECZ Vice Chairperson Major General Vincent Mukanda (Retired) says the Commission will not wait for political parties to send their observers before printing begins, noting that only UPND and independent presidential candidate Given Katuta had sent monitors as of yesterday. Gen Mukanda says while ECZ is desirous of printing ballot papers locally to avoid the “logistical nightmare” of printing abroad, this remains a tall order as it would require a well-established local company with high-tech machines to carry out the exercise. Several stakeholders, including...