ECZ Intends to Delimit Constituencies Before 2026 Elections

It is possible for the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to complete the process of constituency delimitation before the legislative and presidential elections in August 2026, the commission’s Chief Electoral Officer, Brown Kasaro, told One Love Radio on Monday. However, this will only be possible if the government advances with amending the constitution, and sooner rather than later.

Mr Kasaro explained that the proposition to redraw the constituency boundaries and possibly expand the number of constituencies resulted from extensive consultation with Zambians in districts across the country: “one of the submissions as the Electoral Commission Technical Committee was going round the provinces was the requirement for delimitation of constituencies. In 2019, the commission undertook a delimitation exercise where it did consultations in all the districts. Arising from that, recommendations were received and the commission came up with a report that was submitted to the central government”.

It is hoped that this undertaking will not only make the National Assembly a more accurate representation of the Zambian people, but also streamline and expedite the electoral process; to this end, Mr Kasaro committed the ECZ to announcing the winner of the presidential election within 72 hours of polls closing. The ECZ will find the best “balance between accuracy and speed”, Mr Kasaro said.

Furthermore, the government supports these proposals. UPND deputy spokesperson Elvis Nkandu told ZNBC News on Monday that constituency delimitation is the key to developing Zambia’s rural areas, through expanding their representation and bolstering their access to government funds. “In Chadiza we will have two constituencies, meaning instead of receiving 36.1 million Kwacha, it will receive 72.2 million, and it will go a long way to developing our areas”, he said.

Mr Nkandu also dismissed opposition concerns that the UPND government would use the constitutional reforms necessary to permit delimitation to consolidate its grip on power; President Hichilema has no intention of extending presidential terms from five to seven years, he insisted.

If the ECZ’s commitments are to be realised, the constitutional reforms and process of delimitation will have to get underway soon.