Institute Of Governance Praises Intra-Party Elections

The Zambian Institute of Governance and Civil Liberties Advocacy Platform (ZIGCLAP) has urged political parties to carry out internal elections ahead of the country’s general election on 12th August. 

Speaking to the media, ZIGCLAP’s chief executive officer Francis Chipili praised parties which had already carried out internal elections, such as the United Party for National Development (UPND). 

He observed that “Intra party elections can make political parties select candidates who are popular and can be put into positions such as the presidency and other important positions”.

Contrastingly he criticised those parties, such as the Patriotic Front (PF), which have failed to hold even a single round of internal elections since their formation, urging them to rectify the situation immediately. 

“It is unacceptable that some political parties have candidates who always go unopposed and this is because their parties have not conducted any elections for over 10 years, this is a clear display of intimidation within the parties,” he said.

Last month the UPND held the first internal elections of any political party in Zambia, despite the process being a mandatory requirement of the national constitution.

The elections and general assembly were attended by over 5 million Zambians, both online and in-person. The vote was praised for delivering the most balanced and representative National Executive Committee in the UPND’s history.