NGOCC says political violence is keeping women out of Zambia's elections

LUSAKA — Political violence and online intimidation are pushing women out of Zambia's campaign trail and depressing female candidacy ahead of the 13 August election, the Non-Governmental Gender Organisations Coordinating Council said in a statement on Monday.

The coalition's warning lands at the front of an 11-week campaign and follows reported skirmishes at filing centres in Lusaka and the Copperbelt during nomination week. NGOCC is calling on the Electoral Commission of Zambia, the Zambia Police Service and the political parties to enforce the electoral code of conduct without prompting and to publish weekly accountability data on incidents.

What NGOCC said

The coalition framed the problem as both physical and digital. Cadres deployed by parties to mobilise crowds, NGOCC said, have at times been used to intimidate rival women candidates at rallies. Online harassment — coordinated abuse on Facebook, X and WhatsApp groups — has compounded the pressure, particularly on first-time candidates without party legal teams behind them.

Every cycle the same pattern returns. Women file, women face threats, women withdraw. This year we are asking the ECZ, the police and the parties to be honest about who is doing the intimidating and to be public about who is being held accountable.

— NGOCC, statement issued in Lusaka, 25 May 2026

The coalition is asking for three concrete steps: weekly published incident summaries by the police, fast-track misconduct hearings by the ECZ under the electoral code, and party-by-party reporting on the suspension or disciplining of cadres found to be responsible.

The numbers

Data from the ECZ shows women made up about 14% of National Assembly candidates in 2021 and 15% of the 156 elected members. The Inter-Parliamentary Union ranks Zambia 142nd of 184 countries for female parliamentary representation. NGOCC said the proportion of women filing nominations for 2026 has not yet been disaggregated by gender in the ECZ's preliminary figures — itself a transparency gap the coalition wants closed.

Background

Cadre violence has been a recurrent feature of Zambian elections since the early 2000s. The 2016 and 2021 campaigns drew international concern over candidate intimidation, and parliamentary committees on both sides have at different points called for reform of the cadre system. Civil-society research from the 2021 cycle, including monitoring by NGOCC and the Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue, identified online harassment as the fastest-growing strand — outpacing physical incidents in reported volume.

The electoral code of conduct, gazetted by the ECZ ahead of every cycle, gives the commission the power to discipline parties and revoke accreditation when conduct slips. The mechanism exists; the question NGOCC is putting is whether it will be used in time. Background on the framework sits in our explainer on the electoral code of conduct, which sets out the offences and the sanctions.

What to watch

Three signals through June. First, the first published incident summary from the Zambia Police Service — due Friday, per the ECZ's Muchinga briefing. Second, the ECZ's preliminary candidate breakdown by gender, requested by NGOCC and pending. Third, the response from the main political parties — UPND, PF, Citizens First, Socialist Party — on internal disciplinary action against cadres identified in published incident logs. This sits within Kwacha News's politics coverage.

Sources

NGOCC: official statement on women and electoral violence, 25 May 2026. Electoral Commission of Zambia: 2026 general election information page. Inter-Parliamentary Union: women in national parliaments ranking. Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue: 2021 election observation report.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NGOCC?

In short, the Non-Governmental Gender Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) is the umbrella body that represents women's and gender-focused organisations in Zambia. The answer, simply put, is that it coordinates advocacy on gender equity across policy, law and elections.

How does political violence affect women candidates?

Research from civil-society monitors in the 2016 and 2021 cycles shows that women candidates report higher rates of online harassment, family pressure and physical intimidation than male candidates. According to NGOCC, the effect is to depress filing and survival rates through the campaign.

Why is the August 2026 vote a flashpoint?

Data from the ECZ shows women made up roughly 14% of National Assembly candidates in 2021. In other words, Zambia enters the 2026 cycle from a low base, and any further attrition during the campaign would set female representation back further.

Who is responsible for enforcing the electoral code on harassment?

The ECZ sets the rules under the electoral code of conduct; the Zambia Police Service enforces public-order offences; the political parties are responsible for the conduct of their own cadres. The answer is that all three must act in concert for enforcement to bite.

What are the real risks to women's political participation?

Analysis of regional comparators demonstrates three durable risks: candidate withdrawal mid-campaign, voter suppression in flashpoint constituencies, and a longer-term chilling effect on the next cohort. Evidence from monitoring groups reveals each is measurable and reversible with enforcement.