SOCIALIST PARTY RUBBISHES ‘UPND-SPONSORED’ OPINION POLLS
….they are not only fake and manupilative but a desperate move by the UPND to deceive Zambians says Hapunda
Lusaka… Saturday January 4, 2025
ZAMBIANS should ignore the fake and manupilative opinion polls sponsored by the ruling UPND through the Kenyan firm that they have hired to do image building for President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration ahead of the 2026 general elections, the Socialist Party (SP) has said.
Chief Advisor to the party President Brian Hapunda says the recently conducted online opinion poll in which President Hichilema emerged as the preferred presidential candidate was not only fake and manupilative but also a desperate move by the UPND to deceive Zambians.
Mr. Hapunda was reacting to an opinion poll that was conducted on Facebook, dubbed, “If elections were called today, who would you vote for?” in which the results favored Hichilema.
“The SP is aware of the fake and manipulate polls that are ran and sponsored by the UPND Government through their hired Kenyan firm to do an image building for President Hakainde Hichilema and his administration ahead of 2026 general elections,” Mr. Hapunda said.
He said the UPND-led Government should not fool itself as the sponsored fake pools will not help its dwindling popularity.
He said there was need for the UPND-led administration to learn from the past experiences of previous governments, which relied on deceptive opinion polls to create an illusion of public support.
He noted that these tactics ultimately led to significant challenges for those administrations during elections.
He further stressed that rather than focusing on these manipulated metrics, the UPND should concentrate on delivering the campaign promises made to the Zambian people before the 2021 general elections.
Mr. Hapunda pointed out that the primary opposition to the UPND Government and President Hichilema stems from the rising cost of living, which has impacted the majority of households.
He observed that many citizens have already made up their minds to oppose the UPND Government, asserting that no amount of manipulated opinion polls will dissuade the Zambian populace, who are eager for regime change in the upcoming elections.
Mr. Hapunda highlighted that the UPND Government has presented three national budgets so far, with only one remaining before the general elections on 13th August 2026, and expressed skepticism regarding the effectiveness of the final budget in addressing the economic challenges faced by the country.
SP Media