By Mwansa Kaumba
The European Union Election Observer Mission (EU EOM) to Zambia’s 2026 general elections has in its final report stated that the suspension of the election results by the Electoral Commission of Zambia, and closure of the country’s courts at a critical stage curtailed transparency and access to justice.
And the mission also stated that the state-owned ZNBC did not live up to its legal mandate of offering equal coverage, as they gave over 96 percent of their airtime to President Hakainde Hichilema and the ruling party.
The mission also said the ECZ for the first time introduced campaign timetables for the candidates, while exempting the President and the Vice-President, and recommended that the practice must end so that candidates can make their own timetables.
Presenting the final EU Report on the elections, EU EOM chief observer Michael McNamara said the 2026 elections were held under a challenging environment which revealed concerns and shortcomings.
“The elections offered Zambians a competitive choice, and polling staff administered voting efficiently. At the same time, late legal changes and unequal campaign conditions created uncertainty and distorted the playing field. The suspension of counting and the subsequent closure of courts curtailed transparency and access to justice, two pillars of any democratic election,” McNamara said. “Our recommendations aim to contribute to reforms that can strengthen transparency, inclusiveness and accountability in future elections.”
He said while votes were able to be cast, however, the situation deteriorated significantly after the ECZ ordered a nationwide suspension on the counting and announcement of results. He said that there were serious incidences of procedural irregularity during the totalling process that impacted the transparency and credibility of the process.
McNamara said in the absence of further information from ECZ, the suspension seemed disproportionate.
He said the heavy military presence at the totalling centres was viewed by most of the people they spoke to as intimidation.
McNamara said significant electoral reforms were enacted late, which undermined transparency. He said the information shared by the ECZ lacked details while their website was not up to date with the latest information.
McNamara said for the first time ECZ introduced a timeline for the opposition candidates, with the exception of the President and the Vice-President, saying the same imposed constraints on the opposition candidates as they only had five days to campaign in any given province.
He said even during those five days they were allocated in provinces, those in the opposition were forced to cancel events whenever President Hakainde Hichilema and Vice-President Mutale Nalumango visited the area.
The EU urged the ECZ to discontinue with the practice.
”Campaign schedules must lie with the competitors themselves,” McNamara said.
He said the overwhelming bias by ZNBC against the opposition resulted in people getting limited access to information about the full range of political choices before them. The EU recommended disengaging control of the public media from government control, saying ZNBC must be turned into a truly public broadcaster with full editorial Independence and balanced reporting.
McNamara said ZNBC gave Hichilema up to 96 percent of the airtime despite their obligation to provide equal coverage to all the participants.
The EU EOM concluded that the newly amended legal framework provided a broadly adequate basis for democratic elections and that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) was well-prepared for the elections.
They said candidate registration was inclusive and transparent; and voter registration featured a new online portal.
The EU EOM stated that the online environment remained accessible throughout the election period allowing candidates, civil society organisations and fact checkers to contribute to the online debate.
”However, the EU EOM notes that renewed political will is needed to fulfil the democratic expectations of Zambians. In the absence of political finance laws, the accountability of parties remained limited, while police bias, cadreism, and undue incumbency advantage constrained opposition campaigning and tilted the playing field,” they stated. “Long-term observation opportunities were narrowed by the late and cumbersome accreditation of observers. The state broadcaster ZNBC was overwhelmingly biased towards the incumbent in a context of growing self-censorship under the cyber laws. The marginalisation of women, youth and persons with disabilities as candidates underlined the need for more robust efforts to promote equitable political participation.”
The EU EOM has offered 13 recommendations for consideration by the Zambian authorities including 8 priority ones, which included revising the electoral legal framework well before elections.
”(1), ensure transparency throughout the electoral process (2), protect freedom of assembly and equal campaign opportunities (3), transform ZNBC into a genuine public service broadcaster, which is particularly important during election campaigns (4), align the cyberlaws with international commitments on freedom of expression, the protection of which is indispensable to democratic elections (5), guarantee the right of unhindered access of observers (6), guarantee effective access to due process in electoral matters (7), maintain transparency during the results tabulation process (8),” the EU EOM stated. “Democracy is being tested globally and cannot be taken for granted even in states where it is well-established. Now is the time for political will and concerted action to promote accountability and transparency and the fundamental rights of freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and equitable political participation. The European Union stands ready to support Zambia in implementing these recommendations to further strengthen the country’s democratic path.”
The EU EOM was present in the country from June 29 to September 01 at the invitation of the government of Zambia. On election day, the EU EOM deployed 100 observers from 26 EU Member states plus Canada and Norway.
