Church group dares UPND to report expelled members to Police over alleged nomination violence

Christian Churches Monitoring Group (CCMG) has called on the UPND to report members expelled for violent activities during nominations to law enforcement agencies for violating the Electoral Code of Conduct.

CCMG Programmes Manager, Peter Mwanangombe, said reporting the members would demonstrate the party’s commitment to a violence-free campaign period and adherence to the rule of law ahead of the 13 August 2026 general elections.

In a statement issued on Wednesday in Lusaka, Mwanangombe condemned incidents of violence, harassment, intimidation and online threats that prevented candidates from filing nominations.

He said CCMG documented 12 such incidents across six provinces namely Central, Lusaka, Muchinga, North-Western, Western and Southern.

“Some of these incidents led to the prevention of candidates from filing for nominations through the blockage of access to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) designated nomination centres,” Mwanangombe said.

He criticized the Electoral Commission of Zambia for failing to respond promptly and decisively after issuing a statement on May 22, 2026.

Mwanangombe said the ECZ had a clear constitutional mandate to safeguard the rights of candidates and voters.

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He called on the ECZ to reflect on the violence at nomination centres and engage political party leadership to ensure lawful conduct by parties, candidates and supporters.

“Blocking candidates from filing infringed the right to stand for election under the Republican Constitution and Articles 3 and 25 of the ICCPR,” Mwanangombe said.

He also urged the Zambia Police to strengthen security and enhance preparedness after officers failed to provide adequate protection to candidates subjected to violent attacks during filing.

Mwanangombe asked the ECZ to monitor campaign activities for compliance with the Electoral Code of Conduct and to invoke Section 110 of the Electoral Process Act to suspend candidates who breach it.

“The ECZ must ensure equal access to public media for all candidates under Article 50 of the Constitution and the Ndola High Court consent judgement,” he added.

Despite the incidents, Mwanangombe commended the ECZ for conducting nominations in a largely calm manner and praised parties and candidates for restraint during presidential nominations at Mulungushi International Conference Centre.

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