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The Non-Governmental Gender Organisations’ Coordinating Council has expressed deep concern over the persistently low representation of women among candidates validly nominated for the 13 August 2026 general elections.
According to figures released by the Electoral Commission of Zambia and cited by NGOCC, women remain significantly under-represented across all elective levels despite constitutional reforms and repeated pledges by political parties.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Wednesday, NGOCC Board Chairperson, Beauty Katebe, warned that Zambia remained far from achieving gender parity in political leadership.
She said the data presented showed a decline compared to 2021, citing presidential level where only one of the 14 candidates is a woman, representing 7.1 percent, compared to one of 15 candidates or 6.7 percent in 2021.
“According to the ECZ, only one (1) of the 14 presidential candidates (7.1 percent) is a woman, reflecting virtually no progress from the 2021 elections, where one (1) of the 15 presidential candidates (6.7 percent) was female,” Katebe said.
She said at National Assembly level, women accounted for 122 of 973 validly nominated candidates, or 12.5 percent, down from 181 of 857 candidates, or 21.1 percent, in 2021.
She said the trend continued at local government level where only 48 of 439 mayoral and council chairperson candidates were women, representing 10.9 percent, compared to 56 of 381 candidates or 14.7 percent in 2021.
“At mayoral and council chairperson level, only 48 of the 439 candidates (10.9 percent) are women, compared to 56 of the 381 candidates (14.7 percent) in 2021,” Katebe said.
At ward councillor level, women constituted 433 of 5,099 candidates, or 8.5 percent, down from 565 of 5,693 candidates, or 9.9 percent, in 2021, according to her.
Katebe said the statistics demonstrated that Zambia remained far from achieving the 50:50 gender representation envisaged in the Constitution, the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, the African Union Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Katebe further noted the introduction of the Mixed Member Proportional Representation system, describing it as a welcome step, but stressed it could substitute for deliberate efforts by political parties to nominate women in competitive contests.
“Gender equality cannot remain a campaign promise while women continue to encounter barriers during candidate selection,” she said.
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