The Hichilema Factor: Simon Mulenga Warns of a Dangerous “Straight-Ticket” Wave in Lusaka — He’s Too Strong, Fears a UPND “Tsunami” Will Sweep the Ballot
Independent Lusaka mayoral candidate Simon Mulenga Mwila is urging Zambians to reject straight-ticket voting and choose candidates based on individual merit. But his message also raises an obvious political question: Why is he so determined to persuade voters not to support UPND candidates across the ballot?
Mwila argues that voters should evaluate every candidate on integrity, competence, vision, and commitment to public service rather than simply following party loyalty. While that may sound like a principled appeal, politically it can also be interpreted as an acknowledgment of UPND’s growing electoral strength in Lusaka.
His appeal suggests he understands that many voters may be inclined to back President Hakainde Hichilema’s party from the presidency down to local government. Instead of taking on UPND’s policies directly, he is asking voters to split their ballots.
Mwila maintains that a strong presidential candidate does not automatically mean a party’s parliamentary, mayoral, and council candidates deserve the same support. He says Zambia’s Constitution provides for separate elections because each office has different responsibilities and should therefore be judged independently.
While that argument is constitutionally sound, it also reflects the political reality facing independent candidates who lack the organizational machinery and voter base of established parties.
His call for voters to prioritize competence over party affiliation appears to be an attempt to convince supporters of larger parties—particularly UPND—to break ranks and vote differently in the mayoral race.
Whether voters embrace that message remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: when an independent candidate spends more time urging people not to vote along party lines, it is often because he recognizes the momentum of a dominant political party and is trying to overcome it at the ballot box.