UPND NOT SHAKEN BY PF–PAMOZI ALLIANCE, QUESTIONS ITS AGENDA.
The ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) says it is not threatened by the newly formed Patriotic Front (PF)–Pamozi Alliance, describing the grouping as lacking merit and a clear national agenda.
UPND National Chairperson for Religious Affairs Rev. William Njombo says alliances formed solely to remove a governing party from office are unlikely to gain the support and mandate of the Zambian people.
Rev. Njombo says Zambia has previously witnessed the formation of several political alliances that eventually collapsed.
He has cited examples such as the Tonse Alliance, United Kwacha, questioning their sustainability and impact on the political landscape.
Speaking in an interview with Prime TV, Rev. Njombo says political parties and alliances should be established on the basis of shared ideology and a clear development agenda rather than a desire to unseat a ruling government.
He has questioned the PF–Pamozi Alliance’s policy direction, arguing that the grouping has not clearly outlined alternatives to key government programmes.
Rev. Njombo says Zambians would want to know what alternatives the alliance is proposing to initiatives such as free education, increased Social Cash Transfer benefits and expanded beneficiary coverage, meal allowances for university students, infrastructure development, and the increased Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
And United Party for National Development (UPND) Alliance Spokesperson Leslie Chikuse says the Patriotic Front (PF) is attempting to replicate the UPND Alliance model in a bid to strengthen its political position ahead of the 2026 general elections.
Mr. Chikuse says the PF appears to be copying and pasting the formation strategy that was used to establish the UPND Alliance, in the hope that a similar approach will yield positive results.
Mr. Chikuse adds that while the PF may attempt to imitate the alliance structure, the UPND will not disclose the strategies that contributed to its electoral victory, as doing so could allow political competitors to replicate them.
He states that the UPND Alliance is confident of winning the 2026 general elections, emphasizing that its prospects for victory are not dependent on the perceived weakness of the opposition.
Mr. Chikuse says even if the opposition were to become stronger, it would be difficult to reverse the progress that the UPND administration says it has made in stabilising the economy and improving social conditions.
Mr. Chikuse, who is also President of the Republican Progressive Party (RPP), says Zambians value peace and are unlikely to support political leadership that could reintroduce violence.
PRIME TV