EZRA TEMBO IS LEADER OF OPPOSITION
…NRPUP leader takes helm of opposition block with 75 seats in Parliament
By DAVID KANDUZA
IN a major post-election political shift, Ezra Tembo, the president of the National Restoration Party for Unity and Progress (NRPUP), has officially assumed the role of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
The transition establishes the NRPUP as the country’s primary opposition force.
The party secured a commanding 59 constituency-elected Members of Parliament along with 16 additional seats allocated through proportional representation, giving the block a formidable total of 75 legislative seats.
The political landscape changed rapidly following the August 2026 polls.
Despite conceding the presidency to the incumbent head of State, Hakainde Hichilema, Mr Tembo swiftly moved to consolidate his party’s newly acquired status as the largest opposition group in the National Assembly.
Mr Tembo’s leadership navigated complex pre-election coalitions—including tactical alignments with factions of the Patriotic Front (PF) under the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance umbrella—to aggressively build legislative numbers and expand the party’s nationwide footprint.
Mr Tembo urged members and the public to remain calm while the opposition reorganises its parliamentary front.
He had scheduled high-level briefings with all 75 newly minted MPs, alongside provincial, district and constituency leaders, to map out a robust legislative agenda.
“NRPUP will serve as the main opposition party in Zambia,” Mr Tembo stated, reinforcing his commitment to holding the executive accountable.
“We are dedicated to providing constructive checks and balances to ensure the Government delivers for all Zambians,” he said
The immediate focus for the incoming Leader of the opposition will be uniting disparate opposition voices under his parliamentary banner and preparing for the formal opening of the legislative session, where economic management and electoral reforms were expected to top the agenda.
“PF’s” major weakness is they have a one track mind. They were so consumed with their tiff with HH they failed to take into account the various permutations of the electoral results. In their zeal in labelling HH as a one term president, they never considered the possibility of their losing the election and its aftermath.
They are loudmouthed and even believe their own lies. In terms of strategic thinking, there is none. They believe making a lot of noise and sarcastic remarks is the winning formula.
It happened in the August 2021 elections when they were boasting that Mr. Lungu was a formidable candidate. It happened over Bill 10 when they said it cannot go through parliament and the 2026 elections when they loudly proclaimed HH as a one term president.
And now they have been outsmarted by Mr. Tembo. They never learn.