from ARNOLD MULENGA in Lusaka, Zambia
Zambia Bureau
LUSAKA, (CAJ News) — ZAMBIA’S main opposition is split over the next step following the outcome of controversial elections held in the Southern African country.
This is a major test for the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP), whose candidate, Brian Mundubile, is reeling from defeat by incumbent Hakainde Hichilema in last Thursday’s presidential election.
Mundubile has officially announced plans to challenge the results in the Constitutional Court.
He alleges widespread vote fraud, a position backed by the European Union (EU) election observer mission, which raised transparency concerns.
A post-election raid on Mundubile’s house during the elections culminated in his ally, Mutotwe Kafwaya, being shot dead by state security forces.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) declared Hichilema the winner with 60.94 percent of the vote, compared with 38.87 percent for Mundubile.
The losing candidate therefore believes the legal route will halt the outcome and prevent Hichilema’s inauguration for a second term.
However, Dr Chris Zumani Zimba, the NRPUP Chief Presidential Adviser, said petitioning the presidential results would be “a big mistake”.
“As for me as Tonse Alliance Founder, Secretary General and Chief Adviser, I will not be part of it. Let dialogue, healing, peace and reconciliation reign now to serve many detained and hiding,” he said.
The latter part refers to opposition members and critics of the government who have been arrested following crackdowns during the election period.
Tonse Alliance is the coalition that NRPUP was part of for the elections.
Commentator Daves Kunda noted the divisions.
“As the Tonse Alliance Founder, Secretary General, and Chief Adviser — as well as a presidential adviser to the NRPUP — Zimba’s break from opposition leader Mundubile reveals a significant internal rift,” he said.
Another commentator, Miyanda Laiti, said, “Zumani Zimba appears to understand one thing that others may be underestimating: the pending 2026 election petition could open a can of worms far beyond the presidential contest itself.”
He believes Zimba’s decision to distance himself from the petition therefore deserves attention.
“It represents a 360-degree political U-turn from the posture one might have expected.
“Sometimes, refusing to enter the courtroom is itself a political statement. Perhaps Zimba knows that once the lid is opened, the petition may expose more than its sponsors intended to reveal.”
Danny Mulenga, a citizen, is against halting the court petition.
“Healing comes only in the face of truth from all parties, not pretending,” he said.
“Your (Zimba’s) advice is no different from sweeping dirt under the carpet and assuming you have cleaned the house. What will happen the day you move that carpet after it has served its purpose and time?”
Kunda believes the prospects of Mundubile’s court petition succeeding against Hichilema’s victory are “statistically and practically very low”.
He cited previous elections, such as the heavily contested 2016 polls, when the Constitutional Court threw out presidential petitions over technicalities or time limits rather than hearing them on merit.
“The Zambian judiciary is currently perceived by many as biased towards the UPND government,” Kunda said.
UPND is the Hichilema-led United Party for National Development.
– CAJ News