IT is encouraging to learn that the stakeholders monitoring the printing of ballot papers for the forthcoming elections are happy with the level of transparency so far exhibited.

As the country heads for the elections in less than a month's time anxiety is high and all sort of suspicions are bound to arise from the various players taking part in the crucial polls.

Such anxieties and suspicions are even likely to heighten in the situation that Zambia finds itself, where the ballot papers are being printed outside the country.

What is reassuring, though, is that various representatives of the parties invited by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to monitor the printing are happy with what has so far transpired.

We, would therefore, like to commend the ECZ for taking the initiative to involve the political parties and other stakeholders in the process right from the printing of the ballot papers.

It is our belief that a lot of questions and suspicions that stakeholders have about the country's electoral process arise from inadequate information about the system.

Those without official information often rely on rumours and outright misinformation from other sources pretending to have knowledge on the process.

This type of communication is very dangerous as it has the potential of eroding confidence in a credible electoral process.

That is why we are happy with the ECZ move to open up and let the stakeholders see for themselves what is happening in South Africa.

Having printed the country's ballot papers for the 2006 elections, we are confident that Universal Printing of South Africa have got enough experience to handle this assignment.

The printer should also appreciate the level of transparency expected of it after the 2006 experience with Zambian churches and civil society groups that monitored the exercise then.

The ECZ should maintain this measure of transparency right up to the end, for people to continue to have confidence in the electoral process.