M’EMBE ACCUSES UPND OF CREATING HOSTILE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT AFTER MANDEVU CANDIDATES WITHDRAW
Socialist Party President Fred M’membe has accused the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) of creating a hostile political environment following the withdrawal of three opposition and independent candidates from the Mandevu parliamentary by-election.
In a statement dated October 29, 2026, Dr M’membe identified the candidates as Daniel Chisenga of the FDD/Tonse Alliance, Ntazana Muntungwa of the Leadership Movement, and independent candidate Daniel Daka.
Dr M’membe alleges that the withdrawals were caused by intimidation, financial pressure and an uneven political playing field, claims he says raise serious concerns about the state of democracy in Zambia.
He further alleges that the Tonse Alliance had previously raised concerns over security threats facing its candidate.
Dr M’membe says the withdrawal of the three candidates leaves UPND candidate Adrian Banda as the sole contender in the November 5 parliamentary by-election, potentially denying voters an opportunity to choose between competing candidates
He has called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia to handle the matter transparently and in accordance with the Constitution, while urging citizens to remain vigilant in defending democratic rights.
Fred M’membe writes
THE WITHDRAWAL OF OPPOSITION CANDIDATES IN THE MANDEVU PARLIAMENTARY BY-ELECTION
Comrades, fellow citizens, and members of the press,
What we witnessed in Mandevu today, October 29, 2026, is a tragedy for our democracy, but it is not an accident. The sudden, simultaneous withdrawal of all three opposition and independent candidates, Daniel Chisenga (FDD/Tonse Alliance), Ntazana Muntungwa (Leadership Movement), and independent candidate Daniel Daka, is the direct result of a calculated, oppressive, and heavily skewed political environment engineered by the ruling UPND regime.
As I have consistently warned the nation over the last 24 hours, “Our nation is hurtling toward a dangerous precipice. The democratic foundations and economic sovereignty of Zambia are not merely under threat. They are being systematically dismantled before our very eyes.” What happened today in Mandevu is a vivid, painful confirmation of that reality.
It is deeply alarming that an opposition alliance candidate can be forced out of a race through persistent, state-backed intimidation, financial strangulation, and a hostile playing field. Prior to this capitulation, the Tonse Alliance leadership had explicitly raised the alarm over the intense security threats their candidate was facing. Let us be clear: a victory achieved by clearing the ballot of any alternative choice is no victory at all. It is a manufactured walkover that strips well over 100,000 registered voters in Mandevu of their constitutional right to choose who represents them.
To the UPND and Mr Hakainde Hichilema, we say what we have always said: “By clearing half-baked, politically manufactured charges… you are actively bypassing constitutional rights. This is not prosecution; it is persecution.” By leaving the ruling UPND candidate, Adrian Banda, as the sole contender ahead of the scheduled November 5 poll, this regime is executing its broader authoritarian agenda.
They are hungry for a rubber-stamp parliament and a two-thirds majority, and they care nothing for the democratic principles our nation has fought for decades to maintain
We, as the Socialist Party, “refuse to sit idly by while the hard-won liberties of the Zambian people are traded away for authoritarian control.” “The time for polite diplomatic silence is over; the crisis facing our republic demands immediate, uncompromising action.” We can not defeat this creeping dictatorship if the opposition is easily intimidated.
We call on the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to handle this matter with utmost transparency and constitutional adherence. Their primary duty is to protect the integrity of the ballot and voter choice, not facilitate uncontested walkovers for the ruling party.
To the people of Mandevu and all across Zambia: do not be disheartened. We must remain vigilant, organised, and resolute. We will continue to stand together, fight for an equitable nation, and defend our democracy against those who seek to capture it for themselves.
The struggle continues. Aluta Continua!
Fred M’membe
SP President