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The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has been taken to the Lusaka High Court by the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) over the indefinite suspension of its campaign activities in Kaputa Constituency.
The party, through its Secretary General, Nonde Mubanga, has applied for leave to commence judicial review proceedings against the Commission’s decision, which was announced in a press statement issued on July 3, 2026.
ECZ suspended the party’s campaigns after alleging that NRPUP members had been involved in acts of violence during the ongoing election campaign.
However, Mubanga argued that the Commission acted outside the law by imposing the suspension without first affording the party an opportunity to respond to the allegations.
Read more: Electoral commission suspends NRPUP campaigns in Kaputa after death
He contended that the decision violated the Constitution, the Electoral Process Act No. 35 of 2016, and the principles of fairness, transparency and procedural justice.
According to the application, NRPUP adopted Gilbert Chipili as its parliamentary candidate for Kaputa Constituency, together with several candidates contesting ward elections.
Mubanga stated that the suspension has crippled the party’s campaign after it invested heavily in transport, accommodation, campaign materials, publicity, venue bookings and the mobilisation of supporters across the constituency.
He argued that the indefinite suspension had severely prejudiced the party’s electoral campaign and political rights, maintaining that ECZ denied NRPUP its constitutional right to be heard before making a decision with far-reaching consequences.
In its application, NRPUP is seeking an order compelling ECZ to comply with the law in administering the electoral process and to allow the National Conflict Resolution Committee to hear and determine the allegations of violence before any punitive action is taken.
The party is also asking the court to quash the Commission’s decision, prohibit ECZ from enforcing the suspension, and declare the decision unlawful, irrational, unconstitutional and of no legal effect.
NRPUP has further requested that, if the court grants leave to commence judicial review proceedings, such leave should operate as a stay of the Commission’s decision pending determination of the matter.
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