TONSE ALLIANCE CHALLENGES ECZ OVER ELECTION RULE CHANGES, DEMANDS TRANSPARENCY
…Mwakalombe warns against shifting goalposts, says late changes risk undermining confidence in August polls
TONSE Pamodzi Alliance has accused the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) of creating confusion ahead of the August 2026 General Election by allegedly changing electoral regulations and procedures while the electoral process is already underway.
Speaking on behalf of the alliance, Tonse Pamodzi Alliance National Chairperson for Elections and Campaigns Japhen Mwakalombe challenged Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Chairperson Mrs. Mwangala Zaloumis, and Chief Electoral Officer Brown Kasaro to publicly explain the Commission’s role and conduct in managing the country’s electoral process.
Mr. Mwakalombe said the alliance was disappointed with what it described as the Commission’s handling of the election, alleging that repeated changes to regulations were undermining transparency and fairness.
“We want ECZ, under the chairmanship of Mrs. Mwangala Zaloumis, SC, and CEO Brown Kasaro, to come out in the open and tell us the role they are playing in the electoral process towards the August 2026 election,” Mr. Mwakalombe said.
“Speaking on behalf of the Tonse Pamodzi Alliance, I want to register our disappointment with the manner they have conducted themselves in this election. They have been changing regulations and rules whilst the election is going on.”
He said despite raising concerns with the Commission on several occasions, the alliance had not received satisfactory responses.
“Our complaints are landing on deaf ears. Their role is to ensure a credible and fair election, but they keep changing the goalposts,” he said.
Mr. Mwakalombe cited the accreditation process for polling agents as one of the alliance’s major concerns.
According to him, an electoral timetable previously circulated to political parties indicated that accreditation would run from July 21 to August 11. However, he alleged that ECZ had since shortened the period to end on August 5 without adequate explanation.
“They have reduced the number of days for accreditation of polling agents. Why? They should stick to the initial records. We don’t want confusion,” he said.
He warned that changing electoral procedures during an ongoing election process could create uncertainty and erode public confidence.
“This is what brought confusion in Tanzania where regulations were changed while the election was ongoing. We don’t want that,” he said.
Mr. Mwakalombe also questioned whether ECZ had trained constituency and district focal point officers to help political parties understand and implement the revised procedures.
“They should tell us who they have trained in the constituencies and districts to be focal points to help all stakeholders with these changes. If they have not trained anyone, then it means they want political parties to fail in accrediting polling agents. And if they don’t accredit them, who will represent the parties?” he asked.
He urged the electoral body to clarify the changes and reassure stakeholders that the election would be conducted in a transparent, credible and impartial manner.
“Let ECZ come clean on this. I’m challenging them,” Mr. Mwakalombe said.