ECZ commends peaceful Muchinga nominations as campaign opens

LUSAKA — The Electoral Commission of Zambia is holding up Muchinga Province as the model for nomination filing after returning officers there reported peaceful and orderly proceedings across the province's nine constituencies.

The commendation, issued at a Lusaka briefing, frames the early-cycle picture: Zambia has avoided the kind of nomination-day flashpoint that dogged the run-up to the 2016 and 2021 votes, when several provinces saw skirmishes between rival party cadres at filing centres. With nominations now closed, the focus shifts to a 79-day campaign window that runs to polling day on 13 August.

What the ECZ said

The commission said officers in Chama, Isoka, Mafinga, Mpika, Nakonde, Lavushimanda, Shiwang'andu, Chinsali and Kanchibiya districts had handled candidate filings without major incident. The commission credited a pre-nomination consultative meeting with district commissioners, party agents and the police.

Muchinga has shown that orderly nominations are achievable when there is dialogue beforehand. We want this to be the benchmark, not the exception.

— Electoral Commission of Zambia, <a href="https://www.elections.org.zm/?page_id=4917">briefing statement, 25 May 2026</a>

Other provinces fared less smoothly. Independent monitoring groups reported isolated tussles in Lusaka and on the Copperbelt, including the incident in Mtendere covered separately in this paper. The ECZ has asked the Zambia Police Service to publish weekly campaign-period incident summaries through to election day.

The numbers

Eight presidential candidates filed nomination papers nationally, including the incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema, Harry Kalaba of the Citizens First Party, Fred M'membe of the Socialist Party, and Makebi Zulu of the Patriotic Front. Parliamentary and local-government nominations in Muchinga returned 41 candidates across the nine constituencies, with at least one female candidate filing in eight of the nine.

Why this matters

Nomination week sits at the front of a long campaign window, and the tone set in those few days tends to carry. Research from the Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue shows that incidents at nomination centres correlate with elevated violence in the corresponding province during the campaign itself. Data from civil-society monitors in 2021 found that provinces with peaceful filings reported 30%–40% fewer campaign-period incidents.

That is the working theory behind the ECZ's pre-nomination consultative model — an attempt to lock in non-confrontation at the earliest decision points and let it propagate forward. The electoral code of conduct, gazetted ahead of every cycle, gives the commission the powers to discipline cadres and revoke party accreditation when conduct slips.

What to watch

Three checkpoints over the next month. First, the next ECZ briefing scheduled for early June, which will publish the verified candidates list. Second, the police's first weekly campaign incident summary — due Friday. Third, the High Court's readiness statement for election petitions; petitions will be heard under the timetable refreshed in our coverage of the presidential petition framework. This sits within Kwacha News's politics coverage.

Sources

Electoral Commission of Zambia: 2026 general election information page and nomination briefing. Constitution of Zambia: election timetable. Zambia Police Service: campaign-period public order guidance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Electoral Commission of Zambia?

In short, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) is the constitutional body that runs Zambia's elections. The answer, simply put, is that it manages voter registration, candidate nominations, polling, counting and the declaration of results.

How does nomination filing work in Zambia?

Aspiring candidates file at designated nomination centres, present supporters from the required share of provinces (for the presidency) or constituencies, and pay the prescribed fee. According to the ECZ, returning officers verify signatures and qualifications on the spot.

Why is the Muchinga benchmark significant?

Research from past Zambian cycles shows that nomination-day violence is a leading indicator of campaign-period unrest. The key is that an orderly nominations week sets a permissive tone for the campaign — what the ECZ is trying to replicate elsewhere.

Who polices the campaign period in Zambia?

The Zambia Police Service is the lead agency. In other words, ECZ sets the rules through the electoral code of conduct, the Police enforce them, and the High Court hears election petitions afterwards.

What are the real risks of campaign violence?

Analysis of campaign-period incidents demonstrates three durable risks: physical harm to candidates and supporters, voter suppression in flashpoint wards, and a chilling effect on women's participation. Evidence from civil-society monitors reveals each carries longer-tail democratic costs.