No country has a perfect democracy says EU chief observer after August polls reportFOLLOWING presentation of the European Union Election Observation Mission’s final report on the August 13 general elections, Chief Observer Michael McNamara says no country in the world has a perfect democracy However, he said countries committed to democratic governance should work together […]

No country has a perfect democracy says EU chief observer after August polls report
FOLLOWING presentation of the European Union Election Observation Mission’s final report on the August 13 general elections, Chief Observer Michael McNamara says no country in the world has a perfect democracy

However, he said countries committed to democratic governance should work together to ensure that only citizens determine who governs them.
McNamara was responding to a question on whether Zambia could still be considered an example of a mature democracy in Africa after the EU findings highlighted shortcomings in the August 13, 2026 general election.

“There is no country and there is no perfect democracy in the world. There is no country in which democracy is a perfect exemplar of democracy,” he said.
McNamara, who is also a Member of the European Parliament, said democracy faces challenges everywhere and that every election presents new difficulties.

He was speaking in Lusaka yesterday during the presentation of the EU Election Observation Mission’s final report on Zambia’s 2026 general elections.
The report acknowledged the elections were competitive and that voters were offered a choice of 14 presidential candidates, but identified shortcomings in the electoral environment, campaign conditions, media coverage and results tabulation.
The mission found that the ruling party enjoyed substantial resource advantages during the campaign, which created an imbalance of the electoral playing field.

It also observed misuse of state resources at major campaign rallies involving President Hakainde Hichilema, including government vehicles, public officials and government facilities in eight provinces.

The report further stated that the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s presidential campaign timetable restricted opposition candidates’ freedom of assembly and movement, while President Hichilema and Vice President Mutale Nalumango were not subjected to the same restrictions.

Concerns were also raised over the performance of the national broadcaster, which the mission found biased in favour of the Head of State.
According to the report, ZNBC gave President Hichilema up to 96 percent of airtime, despite its legal obligation to provide equal airtime to all contestants.

The mission recommended for ZNBC to be disengaged from direct government control and transformed into a public service broadcaster with full editorial independence.
On the electoral process, the report stated that the ECZ was generally well prepared for the elections despite late changes to the law, but delayed publication of guidelines and regulations contributed to uncertainty over procedures.
McNamara noted that the ECZ did communicate information throughout the election period.

“But we observed that the information it shared lacked detail and the website was neither up to date nor complete,” the mission stated.
They recommended transparency in results tabulation, including the prompt online publication of polling station level preliminary and final results in an easily usable format.

The report further identified concerns over electoral violence, restrictions on opposition activities, the application of cyber laws, and the limited participation of women, young people and persons with disabilities.
Kalemba November 4, 2026