…says 29 Presidential hopefuls signal opposition crisis
By Francis Chipalo
Twenty-nine presidential aspirants have so far paid K2.9 million in nomination fees to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) ahead of the 13 August 2026 general elections, sparking concern over opposition fragmentation.
Political analyst Gerald Mulao said the high number of candidates reflects a crisis within the opposition, not a sign of a healthy democracy.
“We can argue and say it’s good for our plural participatory democracy, but truth be told this is confusion,” Mulao said.
“We must go back to the drawing board and restructure opposition politics,” he stated.
Commenting further, Mulao argued that a credible, unified opposition is essential for effective checks and balances after 13 August 2026.
“For this country to ever have a strong opposition beyond the elections, politicians will have to set their selfish ambitions aside and come up with a solid opposition that will give the ruling government serious checks and balances,” he said.
Mulao warned that a fragmented opposition would guarantee an easy victory for the ruling UPND.
“Looks simple, but truth be told our democracy is in ICU. This position has not been instigated by the ruling UPND but the opposition themselves because of greed,” Mulao added.
Under ECZ regulations, each presidential candidate must pay K100,000 in nomination fees. The K2.9 million collected so far confirms 29 paid-up aspirants, though the final list will only be confirmed after nominations close and ECZ verifies all paperwork.
The ECZ is expected to release the full list of validly nominated candidates after the nomination period closes.
