Group urges political parties to adopt female candidates in Lumezi by-election

The Non-governmental Gender Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has called on political parties contesting the upcoming National Assembly by-election in Lumezi Constituency to prioritize the adoption of female candidates.

NGOCC Executive Director, Anne Anamela, in a statement issued on Friday, said the same should apply to the two ward by-elections scheduled for Fibalala and Tuuwa Wards in Luapula and Western Provinces, respectively.

Anamela emphasized that political parties had a duty to uphold good governance principles, particularly fairness, inclusion, and equality in leadership.

“As NGOCC, we have over the years observed a very sad pattern among political parties, where women, persons with disabilities and the youth were largely left out in the adoption of candidates for elections,” she said.

She noted that this continued despite repeated commitments by political stakeholders to increase representation of marginalized groups.

To address the challenge, Anamela said NGOCC had launched the “Her Time is Now” campaign to urge voters and political parties to support inclusive leadership in all by-elections and ahead of the 2026 general elections.

Read More: Electoral commission sets June 26 date for Lumezi parliamentary by-election, as incumbent Zulu is jailed

She further disclosed that NGOCC and the Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue (ZCID) had engaged political parties on increasing participation of women, youth, and persons with disabilities in both parliamentary and local government roles.

“As a result of these engagements, 26 political parties signed a communiqué committing to address the historic underrepresentation of these groups in decision-making through affirmative action,” she said.

Anamela said the Lumezi parliamentary by-election, along with the ward polls in Luapula and Western Provinces, present an opportunity for both the ruling and opposition parties to demonstrate their commitment to inclusive representation.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has set June 26, 2025, as the date for the by-elections, which were triggered by the court conviction of Independent Lumezi Member of Parliament, Munir Zulu.

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