The Fight Inequality Alliance (FIA) Zambia has warned that the current nomination fee structure is a deliberate barrier, locking out 80 percent of capable Zambians who cannot raise K25,000 in a country where most live on less than two dollars a day.
National Coordinator Mputa Ngalande stressed that the Electoral Commission of Zambia cannot claim to promote inclusive governance while forcing aspiring leaders to choose between feeding their families and buying a nomination form.
He argued that the steep fees effectively create a two-tier political system where only the wealthy elite can afford to stand for office.
Ngalande further noted that women, youth, and persons with disabilities are hit hardest, as they already face systemic economic discrimination in access to resources and opportunities.
He called on the ECZ to immediately introduce sliding-scale nomination fees based on income or to waive costs entirely for low-income candidates as a matter of electoral justice.
He warned that the inequality gap will continue to widen as long as political representation remains a luxury reserved for the rich, the connected, and the incumbent elite who recycle power amongst themselves.
