SIMUUWE COMMENDS MORGAN MUUNDA FOR CONDUCTING A PEACEFUL, ISSUE-BASED, AND DISCIPLINED CAMPAIGN IN CHAWAMA
Details in the statement……
The United Party for National Development (UPND) has received and noted the official results of the Chawama Parliamentary by-election.
On behalf of the UPND, we wish to congratulate the winner of the Chawama by-election, Mr. Bright Nundwe of the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD), for emerging victorious and scooping the seat. We equally acknowledge the people of Chawama for exercising their democratic right and making their voices heard.
His Excellency, President Hakainde Hichilema, has stated that this by-election is a clear demonstration of Zambia’s entrenched democratic dispensation, in which elections are held strictly as prescribed by the Constitution whenever a seat falls vacant. It is also a reaffirmation that institutions charged with managing the electoral framework, particularly the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), are operating in a free, fair, and credible environment, supported by law enforcement agencies that are able to execute the law fairly but firmly.
In this regard, we wish to commend the Zambia Police Service and the ECZ for the professional manner in which they discharged their duties. Their conduct ensured an environment that guaranteed the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens to vote peacefully and without fear.
We further thank the electorate of Chawama for the confidence they demonstrated in the UPND. In every political competition, there is ultimately one winner, and the outcome of this contest reflects that democratic reality. For us as a party, elections, whether won or lost, are opportunities for learning, reflection, and renewed mobilisation.
A review of the results compared to the 2021 General Election shows that the UPND has improved in percentage terms, despite the low voter turnout. However, we must be candid; there is no excuse for losing a by-election. Whether one improves in percentages or not, failure to win must trigger serious reflection. For the UPND, this moment marks a critical point of introspection as we re-examine our strategies, structures, and mobilisation mechanisms in Chawama and beyond, even where seats were previously held by the opposition.
We commend our candidate, Mr. Morgan Muunda, for conducting a peaceful, issue-based, and disciplined campaign, and we thank all our members and supporters who worked tirelessly throughout the process.
As a party, we are fully aware that we now have approximately four months before the 2026 General Election. The UPND will therefore intensify mobilisation across all constituencies, strengthen party structures, and prepare adequately to present ourselves as a responsive, united, and people-centred movement.
We urge the winning candidate to serve the people of Chawama with humility, diligence, and a spirit of unity, putting the interests of the residents above partisan considerations.
The UPND remains committed to peaceful politics, inclusive governance, national unity, and the delivery of development for all Zambians, including the people of Chawama, regardless of political affiliation.
Issued by:
Mark Simuuwe
UPND Media Director
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