Sylvia Masebo insists Chongwe East MP’s election was marred by malpractices
By Perpetual Sichikwenkwe
LOSING United Party for National Development (UPND) Parliamentary candidate Sylvia Masembo has insisted that the election of Anita Kamanga as Member of Parliament (MP) for Chongwe East Constituency was marred by electoral malpractices which influenced voters not to vote in her favour.
Ms Masembo has maintained in her reply filed before the Lusaka High Court in response to Kamanga and the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ)’s answers, that the election was not conducted in a free and fair atmosphere.
She has petitioned Kamanga’s election, citing electoral malpractices including corruption, bribery and me-calling.
Ms Masembo, who polled 6,798 votes against Kamanga’s 16,058, alleged that Kamanga, through her agents, disseminated false and defamatory statements against her, thereby prejudicing her candidature and improperly influencing voters.
She stated that during the campaigns, Kamanga urged voters not to vote for her because she had lost the UPND adoption process and had only been adopted by virtue of her position in the party.
Ms Masembo has asked the court to declare the election null and void and direct the ECZ to re-run the parliamentary election for Chongwe East.
But Kamanga and the ECZ have separately urged the court to dismiss the petition and uphold Kamanga’s election.
August 13, 2026 election was free and fair and that Kamanga was duly elected with 16,058 votes, while Ms Masembo polled 6,798 votes.
“The elections were free and fair and the first respondent was and is the duly elected MP for Chongwe East Constituency,” the commission said.