The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has rejected claims that it unlawfully handed proportional representation (PR) seats belonging to the opposition National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) to the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND). The…

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has rejected claims that it unlawfully handed proportional representation (PR) seats belonging to the opposition National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) to the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND). The Commission says the opposition party lost the seats by failing to submit a full list of nominees within the period set by law.

The row began with allegations by former diplomat Mr Emmanuel Mwamba, who accused the Commission of unlawfully allocating the NRPUP’s seats to the UPND. Mr Mwamba claimed the reallocation was the product of political collusion or deliberate manipulation of the PR process.

In a statement responding to the claims, Chief Electoral Officer Mr Brown Kasaro dismissed any suggestion of wrongdoing. He said the Commission had acted strictly within the Electoral Process (Amendment) Act No. 12 of 2026, which clearly sets out the procedures every qualifying political party must follow once PR seats have been allocated.

“The redistribution of seats arising from a failure to submit a party list is a requirement of the law and not an act of political favouritism or manipulation,” Mr Kasaro said.

The electoral chief pointed to Section 36C(1) of the Act, which requires a qualifying party to submit its party list within seven days of the distribution of PR seats. Section 36C(9) then directs the Commission, where a party misses that window, to redistribute the vacant seat to another qualifying party using the formula laid down in Section 36B.

The Commission’s defence rests on what it describes as the NRPUP’s own shortfall. The ECZ said the party knew how many seats it was entitled to but submitted fewer nominees than required. That left seats unfilled once the statutory period had run its course.

Mr Kasaro said the Commission had met both qualifying political parties, and the requirements governing the PR process were explained at that meeting. He said the duty to submit the required names within the statutory deadline rested with each qualifying party. The Commission, he added, could not be held accountable for a party’s failure to meet the legal requirements.

The ECZ said the redistribution was a direct consequence of that failure, not an attempt to favour the UPND. It also rejected claims that applying the law amounted to electoral misconduct.

Under the electoral framework, the PR system allocates seats to qualifying political parties. The provisions cited by the Commission deal specifically with vacant seats left when a party does not submit its list within the required period.

The dispute concerns seats in the new National Assembly. President Hakainde Hichilema officially opened its First Session in Lusaka on Friday, 9 October. Addressing the House, the Head of State highlighted the role of women, young people and persons with disabilities under the Mixed-Member Proportional Representation System. Allocations under that system include 20 women, 15 youths and five persons with disabilities.

The NRPUP’s parliamentary standing is also being tested in the courts. In Kwacha Constituency, losing UPND candidate Mr Crispin Chomba is challenging the election of NRPUP MP Dr Brian Chirambo, alleging violence and vote-buying. The ECZ is cited as second respondent in that matter, which continues before Judge Bonaventure Mbewe in Kitwe.

Opposition unease over the make-up of the new House goes beyond the PR dispute. National Democratic Congress (NDC) president Ms Saboi Imboela said the current Parliament was basically a one-party state because members of other political parties had been compromised. She said Zambia now has an increased Parliament with a reduced voice.

For now, the Commission is standing by its decision. The ECZ urged political stakeholders and members of the public to disregard the allegations, describing them as untrue and unfounded.