from Arnold Mulenga in Lusaka, Zambia
Zambia Bureau
LUSAKA, (CAJ News) – PLANS by the Zambian opposition to present a united front in elections later this year are crumbling amid internal power struggles.
The parties intended to contest under the Tonse Alliance, but with elections set for August, the coalition is in turmoil.
The fallout this week has been dramatic.
On Tuesday, the alliance officially removed the Given Lubinda-led faction of the main opposition Patriotic Front (PF), citing internal leadership disputes and ongoing legal battles.
PF was removed as the anchor party.
Instead, the alliance now recognises the so-called ECL PF Political Movement—a group of loyalists to the late former president Edgar Chagwa Lungu—instead of the formal PF party.
Following the meeting, Daniel Pule was recognised as the caretaker chairperson.
PF on Monday described the meeting convened by Pule as “illegal.”
The situation was worsened by the fact that the meeting took place while PF and Tonse were campaigning for the parliamentary by-election in the Chawama constituency, scheduled for 15 January.
Lungu’s daughter, Tasila, lost the seat following her prolonged stay in South Africa, where her father died in June 2025.
The former head of state remains unburied, with his remains still in South Africa after a deadlock between his family and the government of current president Hakainde Hichilema.
PF and Tonse have been campaigning for Bright Nundwe of the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD), a member of the alliance.
Lubinda, PF Acting President and Tonse co-chair, said the conduct of certain colleagues within the alliance demonstrated “dishonesty, lack of political decorum, and blatant disregard for collective responsibility, consultation, and mutual respect—principles that are indispensable to any credible political alliance.”
“Accordingly, any documents, statements, or materials circulating on social media purporting to be resolutions of the Tonse Alliance are hereby disowned in their entirety, are illegal and illegitimate, and must be ignored with the contempt they deserve,” he stated.
In response, the Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP), led by Sean Tembo, officially withdrew from the alliance.
Tembo on Wednesday cited “constant squabbles, bickering and procrastination among senior members of the alliance” as the main reason for leaving.
“With barely seven months before the general elections, we in the PeP have decided to replace bickering, quarrels and uncertainty with focus, certainty and resoluteness,” he said.
Critics maintain that PF is the main problem in the alliance.
The party is beset by internal disputes, with several leaders claiming endorsement by Lungu before his death.
Some eight individuals have expressed interest in the PF presidency, but a conference to choose a leader to succeed Lungu has been postponed, and it now appears unlikely to be held this month as originally planned.
On Wednesday, the party posted the hopefuls in a joint photograph, stating they were meeting “to find common ground.”
“Pray for them to remember God and country first,” the party appealed.
PF lost power to Hichilema’s United Party for National Development (UPND) in 2021.
– CAJ News