A KBN TV EDITORIAL – POLITICAL LESSONS FROM KAWAMBWA PARLIAMENTARY BY-ELECTIONS
Granted, the stakes were extremely high in the just ended Kawambwa Parliamentary by-election such that the results could have gone either way. Both the ruling party and opposition alliance put their best foot forward to try and claim this highly contested seat.
In the most unprecedented tussle for the Kawambwa seat, the remote town witnessed a surge of nearly half of the cabinet descending on it to cannivass for votes that should win them the seat desperately. The UPND is uncompromisingly bent on increasing its tally in Parliament while the embattled and fragmented PF wants to show that they are equally no pushover and a force to reckon with.
The PF resolve was demonstrated through a coalition of political party leaders and several functionaries that camped in Kawambwa for nearly a month to try and appeal to the voters as to why the seat needed to be handed to a Tonse Alliance candidate.
However, this was not to be the case as results show that the seat is gone . Gone from Nixon Chilangwa, gone from the Patriotic Front, gone from Tonse Alliance and ultimately gone from Danstan Mwansa. Clearly, the ruling party has added another seat to their numbers in Parliament. Unless something is done differently, the Kawambwa script is likely to be repeated in Petauke Central, Pambashe and most likely Chawama.
It’s worth noting that while the Tonse Alliance had an emotional campaign message about why they should claim the seat given the circumstances preceding the election, the ruling party on the other hand promised fertilizer, mealie meal, money, cooperatives and other rewards.
Whether or not yesterday’s results reflect the wishes of the people of Kawambwa, the reality is there’s celebration in one camp and mourning in the other. The question is, will the opposition overlook the lessons and hope for a different ball game in the upcoming by-elections?
All things being equal, this is an election that the opposition would have easily won if they managed to field one candidate. At least the three of them would have passed UPND by a narrow margin.They say numbers don’t lie.
Having suffered the damage of losing their preferred 2026 presidential candidate through a controversial ConCourt ruling, the Kawambwa by-election was such a huge battle field for the Tonse Alliance to prove their power to shift the tide of political fortunes in their favour.
Truth be told, given both the physical attacks some of them suffered and the ultimate loss of a seat they so desperately wanted to win, the Tonse Alliance is coming out of the Kawambwa by-election literally licking their wounds while questioning what they could have done differently to claim the seat and prove popularity.
In the case of the ruling party, with President Hakainde Hichilema recently touting that his party would be no pushover out of power; the Kawambwa seat needed to fall in the hands of UPND by any means possible to send a strong message that his party is popular and in charge beyond its known traditional strongholds.
All things considered, it will be interesting to see if the Kawambwa by-election will pass without being challenged given several allegations of malpractice most of which were captured on social media to do with inducement, intimidation and violence etc.
Despite these perceived challenges, the Tonse Alliance team had put up a spirited fight and tried to stay alert by being proactive and responsive in flagging notable acts that were deemed to be against electoral rules.
Going forward, stakeholders must seriously address the issue of conflicted individuals running elections at the Electoral Commission of Zambia as issues of credibility and legitimacy are constantly coming up. The Police too, must rise above public perception of partisan interests and prove to the Zambian people that they are above board.
Lastly, the biggest lessons to be had from the Kawambwa by-election is that apart from being alert, the opposition should take interest and get familiar with the voter’s register to ensure it’s the correct one.
Always, deploy sufficient monitors to guard against potential malpractice and most importantly, the opposition must remain united and stop being self-defeated by splitting the votes.
If there is one matter to be settled once and for all, and should not be left to emotional judgement, is the need to rally behind a single opposition Presidential candidate come 2026.
This is the space for the States Man ECL, he has an inescapable duty to play by listening to voices beyond his immediate inner political circle. They have been expended, they have done their very best and results of their sincere effort are showing for all to see. Going forward, ECL has to endure the uncomfortable reality of being the States Man who sees matters beyond party politics but prioritizes national unity, prosperity and progress.