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The joint African Union and COMESA Election Observation Mission has commended Zambians for turning out to vote in the August 13, 2026 general elections, while flagging concerns about late electoral reforms and isolated incidents of violence.
The AU-COMESA EOM, led by former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn Boshe, presented its preliminary statement in Lusaka on Saturday as the Electoral Commission of Zambia continued to tally results from 226 constituencies.
The mission deployed 93 short-term observers, 52 percent of whom were women, drawn from 27 African countries and prior to election day, 33 observer teams were stationed across 8 provinces and monitored voting procedures in 740 polling stations.
The observers said they engaged with the ECZ, political parties, civil society, faith-based groups and other stakeholders in the lead-up to the polls and assessed the pre-election period, election day, and the early stages of results tabulation.
“At the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Zambia, the African Union Commission (AUC), and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), deployed a joint African Union and COMESA Election Observation Mission (AU-COMESA EOM) to observe the 13 August 2026 General Election of the Republic of Zambia,” it said.
On the legal framework, the mission noted that the elections were conducted under the 1991 Constitution as amended in 2025, the Electoral Processes Act of 2026, and the Public Order Act of 1955.
It highlighted the introduction of the Mixed Member Proportional Representation system through Constitutional Amendment Act No. 13 of 2025.
“The Electoral Processes Act No 12 of 2026 was passed in May 2026, three months before the elections. The late enactment raises concerns, including limited time for comprehensive civic and voter education,” the mission said.
It commended the introduction of MMPR as an affirmative measure to enhance representation of women, youth and persons with disabilities, however, it noted with concern that proportional representation seats are allocated based on the national presidential vote, which disadvantages parties without a presidential candidate.
“The ECZ registered a total of 8,786,300 voters, of whom 53.1 percent were female and 46.9 percent were male. Youth comprised 46.3 percent. The government also provided full funding of an estimated K2.2 billion for the elections,” the mission noted.
On candidate nomination, the mission reported that 14 presidential candidates were validly nominated, including one female candidate and for the National Assembly, 1,132 candidates were nominated, with women making up 22.4 percent.
It noted that violent incidents were reported during the candidate nomination period in Mazabuka District and Kaputa District, resulting in the deaths of two people.
The mission also noted violent clashes during campaigns in Choma, Mazabuka and Kaputa, and concerns about police obstruction of opposition campaigns.
Regarding election day, the mission said polling stations generally opened in an orderly manner with 66percent opening on time and voting was conducted in a generally peaceful and orderly environment in 98.6percent of polling stations visited.
“On 14 August, the ECZ temporarily suspended the counting and announcing of results, citing security concerns. The opposition leader, Brian Mundubile, publicly claimed victory before the ECZ could announce results. These developments contributed to increased mistrust, political tension, and incidents of violence,” it stated.
The mission underscored that the integrity of results management depended on adherence to the law and restraint by political actors and listed commendable practices including full government funding, high voter turnout, and the provision of voters’ registers to candidate agents.
It urged all stakeholders to remain calm, exercise restraint, allow the ECZ to complete the counting and verification, and use established legal mechanisms to resolve any electoral disputes peacefully.
In its preliminary recommendations, the AU-COMESA EOM called on government to address causes of political violence, the legislature to enact electoral laws earlier, the ECZ to increase polling stations and booths, political parties to strengthen internal democracy, and the media to ensure balanced coverage.
The mission said it would issue a final report with detailed findings after the process concludes.
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