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U.S. Representative, Gregory Weldon Meeks, has called on the Zambian government to allow the courts to hear legal challenges to the results of the August 13 elections, saying judicial review was critical to protecting the country’s democratic credibility.
He said the United States must press Lusaka to uphold due process and transparency as Zambia faces growing scrutiny over alleged irregularities in the vote.
In a post on his Twitter account, Meeks also urged Zambian authorities to release polling station-level results and to launch an immediate investigation into the fatal shooting of former Minister of Transport and Communications, Mutotwe Kafwaya.
He linked the two issues to broader concerns about political space in Zambia.
The congressman said the response from the U.S. government should be coordinated, public and specifically called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to engage President Hakainde Hichilema directly on the matter.
“I am deeply concerned by reports of election irregularities in Zambia, including the jailing of opposition politicians and efforts to stifle dissent,” Meeks wrote.
He cited the detention of opposition figures and restrictions on public debate as evidence that civic freedoms were under pressure in the post-election period.
“Secretary Rubio must call on President Hichilema to release the electoral results from Zambia’s polling stations, investigate the fatal shooting of former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya, and allow the courts to hear legal challenges to the electoral results,” he said.
Meeks framed the issue in regional terms, arguing that how Zambia handles the dispute would set a precedent ahead of major elections elsewhere on the continent.
“A firm response from the United States in support of Zambia’s democracy and democratic gains is vital, especially in light of upcoming elections in Angola, Kenya, and Nigeria,” he stated.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia has previously declared results for the August 13 vote, but opposition parties have disputed the outcome and filed petitions contesting various constituencies.
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Access to disaggregated polling station data has been a central demand of those challenging the results.
Lawyer and human rights advocate, Linda Kasonde, Brebner Changala and the LCK Freedom Foundation have petitioned the Constitutional Court seeking to nullify the August 13 presidential election and declare President Hakainde Hichilema’s election invalid.
The three petitioners cited the Electoral Commission of Zambia, the Attorney-General and President Hichilema as respondents in the matter filed Monday.
They contend that the electoral environment before, during and after the poll violated Article 45 of the Constitution by failing to guarantee the free exercise of political rights and an election that was free and fair, and free from violence, intimidation and corruption.
“The electoral environment in which the Election was conducted, before, during and after the poll, contravened Article 45 of the Constitution,” Kasonde, Changala and LCK Freedom Foundation said in the petition.
The petitioners are challenging ECZ’s declaration of Hichilema as President, arguing that the official results are contradicted by independent verification undertaken by the Christian Churches Monitoring Group.
However, the petition failed to meet the seven days requirement resulting in Zambian courts not having any legally filed petition before it.
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