Key takeaways
- The National Assembly wants the ECZ to submit the names of Mixed Member Proportional Representation MPs by 17 September 2026.
- Clerk Loveness Mayaka says directly elected and proportional representation MPs will be inducted together, to avoid any segregation between the two categories.
- Zambia’s proportional representation system reserves five parliamentary seats for Persons with Disabilities, described as a significant milestone for their political participation.
- Parliament is reviewing its systems, infrastructure, and communication and support services to make participation effective, not just symbolic.
- The remarks came at the opening of a three day capacity building workshop on disability inclusion for the National Assembly’s Research Department.
The National Assembly has asked the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to submit the names of Members of Parliament entering the House under the Mixed Member Proportional Representation system by 17 September 2026, as Parliament works to bring all newly elected and nominated Members through a single, unified induction process.
Clerk of the National Assembly Loveness Mayaka said the names are needed so that the affected Members can undergo the internal processes that precede their formal entry into Parliament, chief among them induction. She said induction should be conducted together for directly elected Members and those coming through the proportional representation system, so that no form of segregation arises between the two categories of Members.
Ms Mayaka’s remarks were delivered in a speech read on her behalf by Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly for Administration, Sage Samuwika, at the opening of a three day capacity building workshop for the National Assembly’s Research Department. The workshop is focused on disability inclusion.
A milestone for disability representation
Zambia’s Mixed Member Proportional Representation system, introduced for the 2026 general election, reserves five parliamentary seats for Persons with Disabilities alongside the directly elected constituency seats. Ms Mayaka described the reservation as a significant milestone in advancing the political participation and representation of Persons with Disabilities in the country.
She said the presence of Persons with Disabilities in Parliament has to be matched by an institutional environment that allows them to participate effectively, not merely to hold a seat. The National Assembly, she said, is examining its systems, procedures, infrastructure, and information, communication and parliamentary support services to ensure they respond to the diverse needs of all Honourable Members.
An inclusive Parliament, Ms Mayaka said, is one that reflects the diversity of the people it serves and ensures that every Member can discharge their constitutional and parliamentary responsibilities effectively.
Beyond ramps and lifts
Ms Mayaka cautioned against a narrow reading of accessibility. She said it should not be understood only as the provision of ramps, lifts or other physical infrastructure, but also encompasses communication, information, digital and procedural accessibility. The National Assembly, she added, must also address attitudinal and institutional barriers that can prevent Persons with Disabilities from participating fully in parliamentary processes.
She expressed confidence that the workshop would strengthen the capacity of the Research Department, drawing on the expertise and experience of the facilitators engaged for the programme.
Why it matters
The 17 September deadline is one of the first concrete administrative markers of how Zambia’s new proportional representation system will be operationalised inside Parliament. With five seats reserved for Persons with Disabilities, how quickly and cleanly the ECZ hands over names, and how Parliament integrates those Members alongside constituency MPs, will be an early test of whether the reform delivers substantive inclusion or only formal representation. The accessibility review Ms Mayaka described, covering everything from procedural rules to digital systems, points to changes that go beyond the chamber itself and into how Parliament conducts its daily business.
Related: How Zambia’s Mixed-Member Proportional Representation System Works | HH Widens Gap to 225,971 Votes as ECZ Confirms 105 Constituencies
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