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The Christian Churches Monitoring Group (CCMG) has accused the UPND of violating the Electoral Code of Conduct through voter inducements during the campaigns for the Chawama Constituency parliamentary by-election.
CCMG Programmes Director, Peter Mwanangombe, said the organisation recorded eight violations of the Electoral Code of Conduct during the campaign period.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday, Mwanangombe said these violations included acts of recording voters’ card and National Registration Card (NRC) numbers by UPND supporters, contrary to Sections 81 and 83 of the Electoral Process Act.
He urged the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to closely monitor and enforce compliance with the Electoral Code of Conduct as provided under Paragraph 3(2) of the Electoral Process Act.
“We urge the ECZ to attend political rallies and other political activities as a way to monitor compliance with the Electoral Code of Conduct as provided under Paragraph 3(2) Electoral Process Act,” Mwanangombe stated.
He further called on the ECZ to strictly enforce the Code by sanctioning political parties, candidates and supporters who violate its provisions, regardless of their political affiliation.
“CCMG remains deeply concerned about the persistent use of voter inducement and the recording of voter’s card and NRC numbers as a condition for receiving handouts—practices that undermine the credibility, secrecy and integrity of the electoral process and require more decisive action by relevant authorities,” he said.
Mwanangombe also addressed allegations by PF Matero lawmaker Miles Sampa regarding the existence of illegal polling stations at Mutason Shopping Centre along Lilayi Road.
He confirmed that the polling stations in question legally existed as per the 2025 Polling District Listing and that CCMG had monitors deployed at both stations.
“We find the allegations made about illegal polling stations unacceptable. We urge political parties, candidates, their supporters and the public to access a copy of the 2025 Polling District Listing on the ECZ website, which contains a list of all 12,200 polling stations across the country, including their polling station codes,” he said.
He added that such false allegations undermined public trust in the ECZ and the broader electoral process.
Read More: FDD’s Nundwe breaks through in Chawama, defeating UPND challenger
Despite the concerns raised, Mwanangombe stated that the Chawama by-election met national, regional and international standards for credible elections. He commended the peaceful campaigns that characterised the pre-election period.
“Based on reports from 111 PRVT Monitors, CCMG confirms that the opening, setup, voting, counting and results tabulation were conducted in accordance with the law and established procedures,” he said.
He further stated that CCMG independently verified the results announced by the ECZ as a true reflection of the votes cast.
Mwanangombe commended all candidates and their supporters for largely maintaining peace and adhering to the electoral timetable, noting that both the pre-election period and election day in Chawama were generally peaceful.
“CCMG further commends the ECZ and polling officials for the orderly and professional conduct of voting, counting and results management, all of which conformed to established legal and procedural requirements,” he said.
FDD candidate Bright Nundwe was officially declared the winner of the Chawama parliamentary by-election after securing 8,085 votes, according to results released by the ECZ. His closest competitor, Morgan Muunda of the UPND, received 6,542 votes.
The ECZ set January 15, 2026 as the date for the parliamentary by-election, pursuant to Article 57 of the Constitution.
The Chawama parliamentary seat was declared vacant under Article 72(2) of the Constitution following the prolonged absence of the incumbent member of parliament.
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