By Mubanga Mubanga
The Electoral Commission says the commission is looking at reforms for 2026 where presidential election results will be announced on August 17, of that year, four days after the elections.
And Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis said the commission has embarked on reforms after noting some loopholes in the current electoral laws.
Speaking during the launch of Electoral Reforms Committee/2026 and Roadmap, at Mulungushi International Conference Center (MICC) yesterday , Zaloumis said after reviewing the 2021 General Elections, the commission noted some gaps hence embarking on the reforms.
“Following the 2021 General Elections, post elections review exercise which was conducted in order to access the conduct of these elections, the Commission and other stakeholders noted some legal gaps in the current electoral laws and conduct, which could have affected, and still affect some aspects of the electoral process,” Zaloumis said.
Zaloumis also said the Electoral Law Reform Technical Committee had been constituted and comprised Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Information and Media, Human Rights Commission, Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Law Association of Zambia, University of Zambia, Copperbelt University, and the Dag Hammarskjold Institute of Peace and Conflict studies.
Others include the Zambia Women’s Lobby, Center for Young Leaders in Africa, Christian Churches Monitoring Group (CCMG), Conference of Catholic Bishops, Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia, Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Cabinet Office Gender division and imminent persons.
During the plenary, some members of the political parties complained that they were not included in the committee, but chief electoral officer Brown Kasaro said political parties had not been included because of “conflict of interest.”
Ministry of Justice Permanent secretary Isabel Lemba, who represented Justice Minister Princess Kasune, commended the ECZ for embarking on the process of reviewing electoral laws and processes, because many people had complained over the same.
“This is truly an important process of the electoral cycle of the country and the Electoral Commission of Zambia is commended for embarking on this vital undertaking. The review of our electoral laws has been called upon on several occasions by close section of the Zambian society,” Lemba said.
At the same event, UN resident coordinator Beatrice Mutali said the UN was delighted to partner and support the ECZ in their efforts to improve democracy.
Mutali said credible elections were the foundation upon which representative governments were established.
The authority of any democratic governance stems from the will of the people as expressed in regular and periodic elections.
In the roadmap for the General Elections include, the Election day which has been set for Thursday August 13, 2026.
The nomination days for Presidential candidates have been set between May 18, 2026 to May 22, 2026, while for the National Assembly Elections candidates has been set for May 18, 2026.
The lodging of nomination petition for Presidential Election has been set between May 23, 2026 and May 29 2026.
Meanwhile, the Election results for Presidential candidates will be announced on August 17, 2026.
