Top news items in major Zambian media outlets

The following are news highlights in Zambia's major media outlets on Friday.

-- African Development Bank (AfDB) secretary-general Oliver Pinzi has arrived in Zambia ahead of the institution's annual meetings which will begin in Lusaka Monday.

Zambia's Ministry of Finance spokesperson, who confirmed the arrival of the bank's secretary-general, said Akinwumi Adesina, the bank's president was scheduled to arrive for the meetings on Sunday.

The meetings, to be attended by over 4,000 delegates, will be held at the Mulungushi International Conference Center from May 23 to 27. (Zambia Daily Mail)

-- Zambia's electoral body has formulated and published the question which individuals voting in the referendum on the Bill of Rights will consider during elections scheduled for August this year.

Justice Esau Chulu, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), said the referendum on the Bill of Rights to be included in the country's amended constitution will be held alongside the 2016 general elections. (Times of Zambia)

-- Opposition political parties in Zambia have demanded that the August 11 elections be postponed to allow for differences over several issues with the country's electoral body to be ironed out.

After a heated meeting between political leaders and the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) on Thursday, the political parties feel the environment was not conducive for holding of free and fair elections hence the need to postpone them to iron out the differences.

Wnyter Kabimba, the opposition political parties' spokesperson, said the group had rejected the printing of ballot papers in Dubai and the holding of the referendum alongside the general election.

He said the opposition political parties were apprehensive about the contents of the voters' register after revelations that foreigners have been included in the voters' register. (Daily Nation) Endit