By Mubanga Mubanga
I and CF will be on the presidential ballot paper in August this year and those who believe UPND must go should work with us, says Citizens First (CF) party leader Harry Kalaba.
And Kalaba says a CF inhouse research from the last seven by-elections, shows that his party has been growing the most in the country.
Speaking with Daily Revelation yesterday over mounting calls for him to join a united opposition in order to remove the UPND from office, Kalaba said his party would be on the ballot paper this August.
“I and Citizens First will definitely be on the ballot, and I am asking progressive members of society to partner with us,” Kalaba said. “We have proved to be the most stable and consistent political party. Those who believe the UPND must go, I call on them to work with the CF.”
Kalaba stated that the party’s internal analysis report conducted from the seven most recent by-elections across the country, showed that CF was the only party posting growth in all of them.
“From the by-elections we have contested, it is now abundantly clear that Citizens First is on a strong and upward growth trajectory,” Kalaba stated. “The party has consistently performed ahead of several political parties that are far older and better resourced.”
He stated that CF’s growth was not coincidental because it reflected increasing public confidence in his party’s leadership, message, and credible alternative vision for Zambia.
“The following empirical results illustrate this trajectory. (1). Petauke Parliamentary By-Election – February 2025, UPND: 11,093; Tonse/NCP, 13,180; CF, 1,040; SP, 578,” Kalaba stated. “(2). Fibala Ward By-Election – 26 June 2025, UPND: 366, CF: 259, SP: 188, LM: 26. (3). Shabo Ward, Nchelenge District – 7 August 2025; UPND: 848, CF: 400, NCP: 396. (4). Mufili Ward, Lupososhi Town Council – 18 September 2025; CF: 522, UPND: 417, SP: 209, NCP: 95. 5. Chawama Parliamentary By-Election – 16 January 2026 Tonse/FDD: 8,085, UPND: 6,542, CF: 1,534.”
Kalaba stated that in the just ended Kasama mayoral by-elections, the UPND polled 17,647, Tonse/FDD 14,302, while his party obtained 4,405 votes ahead of UPPZ at 2,988 and Socialist Party (SP) at 2,211.
“Kasama and Chawama present a particularly compelling case study,” he stated. “In the 2021 general election, Citizens First secured just over 190 votes in Chawama constituency and 393 votes in Kasama. By January 2026 parliamentary and Mayoral by-elections, CF recorded remarkable growth, winning 1,534 votes in Chawama, a growth of over 700%, and 4,405 votes in Kasama, an increase of more than 1,000%. This surge came despite an electoral environment marked by widespread mealie-meal handouts, violence, intimidation, vote buying and heavy deployment of state machinery. The sharp increase clearly demonstrates that CF’s message is gaining traction among ordinary Zambians.”
Kalaba stated that in all the by-elections, CF continued to grow even under difficult and hostile conditions. He stated that the resilience underpinned his confidence that the August 2026 elections would be a fundamentally different contest.
“On that day, Cabinet Ministers, District Commissioners, and Permanent Secretaries will not be concentrated in a single constituency to influence outcomes,” Kalaba stated. “Instead, each will face voters in their own constituencies, voters whose businesses have collapsed, livelihoods have deteriorated, and hopes have been dimmed by unprecedented load-shedding, a high cost of living, and broken promises.”
Kalaba stated that the UPND had failed to learn a critical lesson from history where both the MMD and PF once dominated by-elections while in government, and thereby protecting an illusion of invincibility.
“Yet when subjected to the collective and unfiltered judgment of the electorate in a general election, they were decisively rejected,” stated Kalaba. “History has a way of repeating itself, and all signs indicate that 13 August 2026 will be no exception.”
