HH CAN GO BACK TO PROVINCES AS MANY TIMES AS HE SHOULD BECAUSE THE PRESIDENCY NEVER SLEEPS
There is a growing chorus claiming that because the President has returned to provinces he previously visited, he is somehow acting unfairly. The argument is that once the Electoral Commission of Zambia allocates campaign schedules, the President should be prevented from going back while other candidates have moved on. That argument misunderstands the very nature of the Presidency.
A President is not merely a political candidate. He is the Head of State, Head of Government, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and the chief executive of the Republic. The Presidency is a constitutional institution that operates every hour of every day. National security does not stop because there is an election. Government business does not pause because there is a campaign. Emergencies do not wait for an Electoral Commission timetable. The economy, diplomacy, public administration, and constitutional responsibilities continue uninterrupted. That is why there can never be a vacuum in the Presidency.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia regulates election campaigns by political parties and candidates. It does not suspend the constitutional responsibilities of the President. Every democratic country recognises that an incumbent Head of State or Head of Government continues to discharge official responsibilities during an election period, even while seeking re-election. The office itself cannot simply be put on hold.
Let us also remember our own history. During the PF era, President Hakainde Hichilema, then Opposition leader, frequently complained that scheduled campaign programmes were disrupted or blocked whenever the incumbent President was expected to visit the same area. Whether one agreed with those complaints or not, they formed a major part of Zambia’s political debate at the time.
Today, the situation is markedly different. Opposition parties have continued to freely campaign across the country under the Electoral Commission’s programme. Unbelievably, some now argue that if the President returns to a province he has already visited, perhaps after attending to pressing national duties in Lusaka, that alone should be considered unfair.
The President may visit part of a province today, return to Lusaka tomorrow to discharge national responsibilities, and later go back to complete engagements with citizens. That is entirely consistent with the realities of governing a nation. The constitutional responsibilities of the Presidency do not disappear simply because there is an election.
Leadership is not exercised from a campaign platform alone. It also requires attending to Cabinet business, national security, diplomatic engagements, economic management, disaster response, and countless other matters that cannot be postponed until after polling day.
We should therefore distinguish between legitimate concerns about misuse of public resources, which should always be scrutinised, and the mistaken belief that the President can somehow be confined to a campaign timetable as though he were an ordinary candidate. Those are two entirely different issues.
Let us debate policies vigorously. Let us compete fairly, but let us also respect constitutional reality. The Presidency is a continuous institution. The office never sleeps.
Zambia Forward, TOGETHER in UNITY. 🇿🇲
Saviour Chishimba
President
United Progressive People (UPP)
UPND Alliance Partner