– Proposed law to suspend erring candidates or parties during campaigns
PHILIP CHISALU
Lusaka
AMONG the important matters the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) seeks to attain through the Electoral Process Amendment Bill of 2026 is having the power to suspend erring candidates or political parties during campaigns.
Featuring on ZNBC’s Sunday Interview programme, ECZ chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis said, however, that the suspension will not affect the prescribed polling day.
She said a candidate or a political party may, for instance, be banned from accessing the totalling centre for being violent.
“We are trying to be in line with the courts. We are interpreting what the law says.
We are saying let’s get the powers to suspend a candidate or a political party because we can’t disqualify.
“We are not disqualifying but we are asking for the law to be amended through this bill, the Electoral Act, that we can actually suspend a candidate or a political party in a campaign,” Ms Zaloumis said.
She also said the Electoral Process Amendment Bill of 2026 will help fix things stakeholders have complained about for a long time regarding electoral processes.
The Electoral Process Amendment Bill of 2026 aims to amend the Electoral Process Act in view of Constitution Amendment Act No 13 of 2025.
ECZ needs to amend the Electoral Process Act to align it with the amended Constitution and actualise some of its provisions, such as the mixed-member proportional representation.
Citing the provision under the proposed amendment bill to only allow secretary generals to sign adoption papers, Ms Zaloumis said this legislation will help political parties get organised.
She said ECZ has experienced situations where two individuals from the same political party present themselves with adoption papers signed by different party officials…
