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Civil Society Deploys Over 600 Election Monitors Nationwide Ahead of Thursday’s Polls

The Zambian Economist — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:07:00 +0000

The ZIKO LATHU Consortium says its monitors and polling agents will serve as impartial, independent and well informed stakeholders at polling stations, constituencies and results centres across the country, as civil society groups step up their role ahead of Thursday’s vote.

Over 600 trained election monitors and polling agents have been deployed to constituencies across Zambia by the ZIKO LATHU Consortium, a coalition of civil society organisations, as the country heads into Thursday’s general election.

Monitors Positioned As Independent Observers

ActionAid Country Director Faides Tembatemba said the monitors have been equipped to serve as impartial, independent and well informed stakeholders at polling stations, constituencies and results centres. She was speaking in Lusaka during the launch of the ZIKO LATHU Consortium Election Situation Room and Youth Election Command Centre, which will coordinate the monitoring effort and track incidents as they are reported from the field.

The Situation Room adds a dedicated civil society layer to the machinery already assembled for election day, alongside the National Election Results Centre the Electoral Commission of Zambia launched at Mulungushi and the broadcast safeguards the Independent Broadcasting Authority has put in place for results reporting.

National Coverage, With Focus On Under Monitored Areas

Tembatemba said the consortium will expand its efforts to cover all constituencies, keeping its monitoring approach national in scope while giving particular attention to areas that have had limited election monitoring infrastructure in the past. That includes rural and peri urban constituencies where independent observation has traditionally been thinner than in Lusaka and the Copperbelt.

Violence Against Women Flagged As A Priority

Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council Executive Director Annie Anamela said violence against women during elections should be addressed promptly, adding her voice to a campaign period in which the Electoral Commission has already taken action against threats of political violence and President Hakainde Hichilema has warned of full consequences for offenders.

Call For A Large, Informed Turnout

Media Institute of Southern Africa National Director Austin Kayanda called on Zambians to make informed decisions by turning up in large numbers to vote for candidates of their choice, framing high, informed turnout as part of what keeps an election credible in the eyes of both citizens and outside observers.

Why Stakeholder Collaboration Matters

Panos Institute Southern Africa Executive Director Vusumuzi Sifile said the launch of the initiative is important because it demonstrates the need for stakeholder collaboration in ensuring free and fair elections. That collaboration mirrors the broader observation effort around Thursday’s vote, which has also drawn regional observers under the ICGLR and follows the arrival of ballot papers in constituencies such as Livingstone in the final stretch before polling.

What It Means

A credible, well observed election matters beyond politics. Independent monitoring of the kind ZIKO LATHU is deploying feeds directly into how quickly and how confidently results are accepted, which in turn shapes how soon government, business and development partners can settle into a period of policy certainty. For a country heading to the polls with several close, closely watched races, an accredited, nationally spread civil society presence at polling stations is one of the practical mechanisms that underpins that confidence.

By Zambian Economist Analyst

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Civil society questions ECZ plan for single presidential results announcement

The Zambian Economist — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 18:46:05 +0000

By The Zambian Economist Analyst

LUSAKA, 10 August 2026 – The Civil Society Elections Integrity Forum has questioned a proposed change to the way Zambia’s presidential election result will be communicated, warning that a single consolidated announcement on 17 August could weaken public confidence if constituency-level updates are withheld.

The forum says Zambians are used to presidential results being announced in batches as the Electoral Commission of Zambia receives and verifies returns. It wants that practice retained when the country votes on 13 August.

Why the forum opposes a single announcement

Forum spokesperson Samuel Banda told a press briefing in Lusaka on Monday that the existing approach gives the commission, political parties and election observers time to identify discrepancies while verification is still under way.

He said announcing verified results progressively has helped the public follow the count and understand how the national total is assembled. In the forum’s view, holding all presidential figures until one announcement could create confusion and leave more room for speculation.

Banda argued that ECZ should explain why it wants to change a system the forum believes has worked. The commission had not issued a response to the concerns at the time of publication.

What ECZ’s published timetable says

ECZ’s 2026 elections timetable sets the first ballot for Thursday, 13 August. It schedules the receipt and verification of results from 15 to 17 August, followed by the declaration of election results on Monday, 17 August. Publication of results is scheduled from 17 to 24 August.

The timetable confirms the declaration date, but it does not state whether verified constituency results will be announced publicly as they arrive.

ECZ’s existing voter education guidance on voting-day activities says presidential results are announced at the National Results Centre as they are received from constituencies. The commission chairperson declares the president-elect after all constituency results have been received.

The distinction between announcing incoming results and declaring the final winner is at the centre of the forum’s concern.

Why the communication sequence matters

Election results pass through several checks. Presiding officers announce results at polling stations and post copies of the results forms. Returning officers total polling-station figures at constituency centres in the presence of party agents, the media and observers. Presidential figures are then transmitted to the National Results Centre in Lusaka.

Progressive announcements allow parties, observers and the public to compare the figures read at each stage. A single national announcement may still be based on the same verified forms, but ECZ would need to explain how stakeholders can monitor progress during the four days between voting and the scheduled declaration.

Clear communication also matters for businesses and households planning around election week. Readers can see our practical guide on how Zambian businesses should plan for the election period and our analysis of the economic position the next government will inherit.

Forum urges candidates to use legal channels

Forum chairperson Solomon Ngoma also called on all candidates in the 13 August election to accept the outcome peacefully.

He urged candidates with grievances to use the constitutional and legal channels available to them instead of resorting to violence. The appeal comes as ECZ continues briefings and operational preparations involving parties, candidates and observers. Read our earlier report on ECZ’s stakeholder briefings ahead of the 2026 election.

What voters should watch

Whether ECZ confirms that constituency results will still be announced as they are verified.
How accredited party agents and observers will monitor the national verification process.
How often the commission will brief the public between the close of polls and 17 August.
Whether published constituency figures can be reconciled with polling-station results forms.

The forum’s intervention is a request for procedural clarity rather than a challenge to the legal authority of ECZ to declare the result. The commission’s response will determine whether the proposed announcement is understood as a change in transparency or simply a fixed date for the final declaration.