The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson stepped personally into the row over proportional representation (PR) seats. She rejected claims of collusion with the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) as the opposition Tonse Alliance considered taking the…

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson stepped personally into the row over proportional representation (PR) seats. She rejected claims of collusion with the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) as the opposition Tonse Alliance considered taking the commission to court.

Ms Mwangala Zaloumis said the commission had no authority, legal or otherwise, to award seats as a political favour. She said it could not set aside the consequences the law prescribes when a qualifying party fails to meet its obligations. She addressed the media in Lusaka flanked by chief electoral officer Brown Kasaro and corporate affairs manager Patricia Luhanga.

The dispute centres on seats that would have gone to the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP). That party was the ballot ticket on which the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance contested the August general election. The row began when former diplomat Mr Emmanuel Mwamba accused the commission of unlawfully handing the party’s PR seats to the UPND.

The commission responded through Mr Kasaro, who was quoted saying some seats had been redistributed to the ruling party after the NRPUP failed to submit a party list. He said the redistribution was a requirement of the law and not an act of favouritism. The commission said the party knew how many seats it was entitled to but submitted fewer nominees than required.

That explanation did not settle the matter. Tonse Alliance secretary-general Muhabi Lungu said the alliance was considering legal action over the allocation of PR seats to the UPND, setting the stage for a possible court contest over the first PR seats in the country’s history.

Ms Zaloumis used the briefing to set out the full sequence of events. She said only two of the 13 parties that took part in the August polls qualified for PR seats.

On September 7, the commission informed both parties of their allocations, the deadline for submitting party lists, the submission procedures and the qualifications required of nominees. On September 9, it met the two parties to give further guidance on their allocations and their obligations under the law.

The commission proceeded with the redistribution only after the seven-day period for submitting lists had lapsed. Ms Zaloumis said that period fell within the statutory 21-day window for processing PR seats, which begins on the day the President-elect is sworn into office.

“The responsibility to comply with the requirement to submit a party list rests with the qualifying political party,” she said.

The ECZ chairperson said the commission was bound to apply the law and had no room to disregard the consequences prescribed for a party that failed to comply. The governing law is the Electoral Process (Amendment) Act No. 12 of 2026. Section 36B provides the formula for distributing PR seats, and Section 36C sets out the requirements for submitting party lists and the consequences of failing to meet them.

She also addressed the political noise surrounding the decision. She said some politicians and commentators had misunderstood and misrepresented the facts, and she urged citizens to ground public discussion of electoral matters in an accurate reading of the law.

Ms Zaloumis acknowledged that public argument over the seats was expected. The Mixed Member Proportional Representation system is being implemented for the first time and has attracted considerable public interest. The framework provides for 40 seats in the National Assembly allocated to women, youths and persons with disabilities.

She then drew a firm line. The commission, she said, would not accept allegations of manipulation or collusion presented as established facts without supporting evidence.

The NRPUP is also defending its parliamentary gains on a separate front. Losing UPND candidates are challenging the party’s victories in Kwacha and Chingola Central through election petitions before the High Court.

The Tonse Alliance has yet to file its threatened challenge. The commission maintains that the redistribution stands on Sections 36B and 36C of the amended Act and on a timeline formally communicated to both qualifying parties.