Mundubile Red Flags Poll Risks with EU
By Correspondent writer
31.03.26
Leading presidential aspirant Hon. Brian Mundubile has raised alarm over Zambia’s political climate, warning the European Union election monitoring team that the current environment is not conducive for free and fair polls scheduled for August 13.
Speaking during a two-hour meeting with the EU delegation in Lusaka, the Mporokoso lawmaker and Tonse Alliance leader said Zambia’s democratic space has shrunk drastically, undermining the credibility of the upcoming elections. Daily Nation Zambia
Mundubile’s chief concern centred on the leadership of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), particularly its chairperson, Ms. Mwangala Zaloumis, whom he described as a “card-carrying member of the ruling UPND.”
He argued that her deep ties to the governing party, with public pictures of her wearing UPND party dresses, make it impossible for her to preside over an impartial process. She is deeply conflicted. Smart Eagles
“How does one expect Mrs. Zaloumis as ECZ chair to oversee a free and fair election? It’s impossible,” hon. Mundubile told the EU monitors.
Daily Revelation Newspaper
Hon. Mundubile urged the EU team to examine reports from the US State Department, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, LAZ, and the UN Human Rights Commission, all of which have documented Zambia’s shrinking democratic space since 2021.
Mundubile emphasized that opposition parties have been barred from holding rallies, accusing President Hakainde Hichilema of forbidding public gatherings since assuming office nearly five years ago.
“Here I am as an opposition leader, and we as an alliance have never been allowed to hold a public rally. How can anyone claim we are heading into a free and fair election?” he asked.
His remarks come in the wake of mounting legal troubles. Within days, Mundubile was arrested and charged with cybercrimes, then questioned over alleged irregular government payments to his companies for roadworks.
Analysts fear these cases, coupled with the confiscation of his passport and phones, may be part of a broader attempt to remove him from the ballot just months before the polls.
Mundubile warned that Zambia’s democracy has never been so degraded since the return to multiparty politics in 1991. “An election date is not the election,” he told the EU monitors. “The election is the process leading up to August 13, and in Zambia, democracy has shrunk.”
Observers note that Zambia, once hailed as a democratic beacon in Southern Africa, now risks sliding into authoritarianism under Hichilema.
With the EU team on the ground, Mundubile’s appeal underscores the urgency of international scrutiny to ensure that the polls reflect the will of the people rather than the weight of repression.
Source: KBN TV