🇿🇲 Chawama Votes Tomorrow as Grief, Power and the Future Collide in a High-Stakes By-Election
Chawama goes to the polls tomorrow, January 15, in a by-election that has drawn national attention far beyond the boundaries of Lusaka. What began as a routine parliamentary contest has evolved into a symbolic test of political momentum, opposition survival, and the fading grip of grief-driven politics.
The ballot features six candidates, but on the ground the contest has narrowed into a clear two-horse race. The ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) is fielding Morgan Muunda, while the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) candidate Bright Nundwe carries the weight of opposition backing, including support from the fractured Patriotic Front (PF).
Other contenders from Citizens First, the Leadership Movement, Zambia Must Prosper, the Independent, the New Congress Party and the National Democratic Congress have maintained visibility, but their campaigns have struggled to match the scale and intensity of the two leading camps.
Campaigns had remained notably peaceful, a point repeatedly acknowledged by observers and residents alike. Security deployment remains heavy but measured, with police presence visible across Chawama, from filing centres to market areas and major junctions.
As of filing this report, no serious incidents have been recorded, making this one of the calmest by-elections in recent memory.
UPND has run a disciplined, highly coordinated campaign, marked by strong branding, constant ground engagement and a steady flow of defectors from PF structures. Party officials have framed the vote as a choice between continuity and disruption, pointing to expanded social cash transfers, community programmes and visible state engagement since 2021. The message has been consistent and omnipresent.
The opposition, by contrast, has leaned heavily on symbolism. Chawama was the home constituency of former president Edgar Lungu, and his unburied body has remained a powerful emotional reference point throughout the campaign.
PF leaders and allied figures have openly invoked his legacy, seeking to convert mourning into political capital. Whether that strategy still resonates with voters facing daily economic pressures remains the central question of this contest.
Allegations of impending rigging have surfaced in the final days. Opposition figures, including leaders outside the constituency, have accused UPND of manipulating the process, though no evidence has been presented publicly.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia has repeatedly assured stakeholders that the process remains transparent and secure, urging parties to respect the outcome.
For many voters, tomorrow’s decision appears less about ideology and more about direction. Should Chawama continue under a ruling party MP with direct access to state power, or should it become a rallying point for an opposition still struggling to define itself after years of internal collapse?
Polling opens tomorrow morning, with heightened security expected throughout the day. By nightfall, Chawama will have delivered its verdict. Whether grief still commands the vote, or whether the constituency is ready to turn the page on a powerful political legacy, will soon be known.
© The People’s Brief | Ollus R. Ndomu
Chawama is flooded by outside therefore it is very difficult for ruling it can n win that by-election.
No one is indigenous of chama. All the people you see just migrated into the area and established homes. Chawama like any other compound in any given town, is just a meeting place. Therefore don’t call anyone as an outsider.
Chawama is flooded by outside therefore it is very difficult for ruling to know that if it can win that by-election I see tonse alliance wining that by-election.