The Lusaka High Court has dismissed a petition filed by governance activist Isaac Mwanza and the Consortium of Civil Society Organisations for Good Governance and Constitutionalism seeking to disqualify 101 independent parliamentary candidates from participating in the August 13 General Elections.
In a ruling delivered by High Court Judge-in-Charge Kelvin Limbani, the court held that the petition was incompetent and improperly before the court due to the petitioners’ failure to comply with mandatory procedural requirements governing election petitions.
Mwanza and the consortium had argued that several candidates who filed nominations as independents remained members of political parties and were therefore not eligible to contest under Article 51(a) of the Constitution.
However, before the court could consider the substance of the matter, respondents raised a preliminary objection challenging the competency of the petition.
Judge Limbani found that the petitioners failed to attach mandatory supporting documents required under the High Court (Election Petition) Rules, including skeleton arguments, a list of authorities and copies of authorities.
According to the court, the omission was a fatal procedural defect that rendered the petition incompetent and deprived the court of jurisdiction to hear the matter.
As a result, the petition was dismissed, allowing the affected independent candidates to remain in the electoral race unless successfully challenged through other legal processes.
Credit: Catherine Pule | Kalemba News | June 4, 2026
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