CADRES AT THE HELM OF ECZ, LUSAMBO WARNS
WITH known UPND cadres at Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), it will not be shocking if some political parties like the Patriotic Front (PF) fail to make it on the ballot in 2026, former Kabushi Member of Parliament Bowman Lusambo has said.
Mr Lusambo said the appointment of Mr McDonald Chipenzi as ECZ commissioner was shocking because he was a very wellknown UPND member who was vying to stand as a MP for Siavonga.
He said Mr Chipenzi championed an illegality to defranchise the PF from contesting the Kabushi and Kwacha by-elections by disregarding the position of the court.
Mr Lusambo said the 2026 elections would be different from the 2021 elections and ECZ needed neutral people to run it not those who were politically aligned.
“ECZ is like a referee and we can’t afford to have a referee who would be making decisions to impress his political party or the appointing authority. The appointment of
Chipenzi was wrong,” Mr Lusambo said.
He said Mr Chipenzi was supposed to use his conscience and declare interest in that appointment because he was too involved with the UPND and his integrity and morality was questionable.
Mr Lusambo said ECZ had the ability to set this country on fire if they did not handle the country’s electoral process with fairness which he feared would endanger the peace in the country. He also said the position of ECZ chairperson was traditionally held by people who had served as Judges and the appointment of Mwangala Zaloumis meant that the UPND had broken that tradition.
“Madam Zaloumis and Mr Chipenzi should have declined those appointments because they don’t qualify morally and in terms of integrity to hold those positions and their appointment was a mistake,” he said.
On November 23, 2022 President Hakainde Hichilema appointed to the ECZ MS. Zaloumis, Mr Ali Simwiinga and Mr Chipenzi as chairperson, vice chairperson and commissioner of the ECZ.