Fodep Commends Peaceful 2026 Polls, Raises Concerns over Electoral Gaps

The Foundation for Democratic Process, FODEP, has described Zambia’s 2026 elections as largely peaceful on polling day, while raising concerns over electoral law reforms, accreditation bottlenecks, political violence, media bias and transparency in the management and tabulation of results.

Speaking during an assessment of the elections, FODEP President Mwenda Mumbuna commended government for fully funding the polls and praised the Electoral Commission of Zambia for its operational preparedness, the peaceful conduct of voting at the majority of polling stations, and the continued availability of internet services.

However, FODEP says these positive developments must be weighed against challenges experienced during other stages of the electoral process, including campaign violence, disruptions at tallying centres, discrepancies between G20 results and tallying records, and concerns over the suspension of results nationwide.

Despite the concerns, FODEP says its overall assessment is that the announced results broadly reflect the will of the electorate, while recommending a series of reforms to strengthen transparency, credibility and public confidence in future elections.