Lusaka lawyer, Kasolo, petitions court to nullify 2026 LAZ elections over alleged irregularities

Lusaka lawyer, Anthony Kasolo, has petitioned the High Court to nullify the 2026 elections of the Law Association of Zambia, alleging widespread irregularities and breaches of electoral law.

In a petition filed before the Lusaka High Court, Kasolo argued that the elections held on April 11, 2026, were not conducted in accordance with the law and should be declared invalid, null and void.

He is also seeking an order compelling LAZ to organise fresh elections in strict compliance with the governing legal framework.

LAZ, an autonomous body established under the Law Association of Zambia Act No. 31 of 1973, conducted the elections electronically using a South African firm, David Wilson Participate Technologies.

According to court documents, the Legal Practitioners Committee had published a list of 2,570 eligible voters on April 9, 2026.

However, the declared results allegedly indicated 2,565 eligible voters, with 1,825 votes cast and 170 abstentions. The petition further alleged that the total valid votes were recorded as 27,658 — a figure Kasolo argued exceeded the number of eligible voters.

Kasolo also alleged that the integrity of the election process was compromised when the individual overseeing the electronic voting system, identified as David Wilson, was apprehended by immigration officers at the Avani Hotel during the voting period and did not supervise the system throughout.

The petitioner further claimed that the servers used for the election were hosted outside Zambia without authorisation from the Data Protection Commission or consent from members, contrary to legal requirements — a situation he argued exposed the election to possible third-party manipulation.

He added that candidates and their agents were denied access to the tallying process, while some eligible voters were allegedly disenfranchised after voting access codes were sent to spam folders.

Kasolo also claimed that the voters’ roll was irregularly altered on the eve of the election after it had already closed, and that the results announced on April 12, 2026, were not signed by the returning officer and bore a different name.

“The election process was fundamentally flawed and failed to meet the legal standards required, thereby compromising its integrity,” Kasolo stated in the petition.

He has asked the court to order an inspection of all election system logs, a forensic audit of the electronic voting platform, and a recount of the votes.

Kasolo is also seeking a declaration that the elections were unlawful, along with costs and any other relief the court may deem fit.

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