ECZ STAKEHOLDER MEETING ‘A CIRCUS OF JOKERS’, SAYS CHARLES CHANDA
The leader of the opposition United Prosperous And Peaceful Zambia party has launched a scathing attack on named attendees , dismissing a recent high‑level stakeholder meeting as a circus of clowns called upon by the electoral Commission Of Zambia-ECZ.
Charles Chanda says the gathering was a sham, with most participants appearing completely lost.
The meeting, called by the ECZ to discuss the roadmap for August 2026 general election, was supposed to be a serious forum for political parties, civil society and the media to iron out the country’s electoral plans.
But according to Mr Chanda, it was nothing of the sort.
Speaking to reporters shortly after the meeting, the UPPZ leader was characteristically blunt, branding the entire gathering as, quote, “a meeting of jokers”.
He went on to say that most of those present seemed utterly blank on what was happening and that the ECZ had assembled a cast of figures who were ill‑prepared and lacked any real understanding of the issues at hand. “They are just clowns,” Mr Chanda said, “who have no clue about the serious matters they are supposed to be addressing.”
Mr Chanda’s outburst raises fresh questions about the credibility of the commission’s consultative process, just months before the country heads to the polls.