{"id":57227,"date":"2024-02-01T21:51:10","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T21:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation"},"modified":"2024-02-01T21:51:10","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T21:51:10","slug":"2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation","title":{"rendered":"2026 ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR, M\u2019MEMBE TELLS EU DELEGATION"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zambia. <\/strong><\/span>Leader of the opposition Socialist Party Zambia has met the European Union Delegation. Dr M\u2019membe during a meeting at his party\u2019s Headquarters in Garden Compound in Lusaka said the forthcoming election in Zambia will not be free and fair.<\/p>\n

M\u2019MEMBE BRIEFS EU DELEGATION ON ZAMBIA\u2019S \u2018UNPRECEDENTED SHRINKING\u2019 DEMOCRATIC SPACE Lusaka, Wednesday (January 31, 2024) MEDIA STATEMENT Socialist Party \u2013 SP President Fred M\u2019membe has hosted a delegation of the European Union Elections Follow-up Mission which is meeting stakeholders ahead of the 2026 General Election.<\/p>\n

Addressing the delegation at SP Secretariat in Lusaka\u2019s Garden Compound, Dr. M\u2019membe said the 2026 General Election will not be free and fair because of shrinking democratic space.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe EU observed the 2021 General Election. I was worried about the conduct of the UPND in those elections. In areas where they were strong, it is not a secret, there were serious malpractices. They drove out Polling Agents from other political parties in Southern, Western and North Western Provinces and Southern part of Central Province. They were remaining themselves alone. When former President Edgar Lungu said elections were rigged, no body took him serious. But indeed there was some serious malpractices by the UPND. I understand that it was difficult to operate under the PF and some of the measures the UPND took could have been justified at that time but my worry was, are they going to carry those practices into Government? And indeed they have done so,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dr. M\u2019membe said from the first by elections UPND Administration conducted in 2021, violence and other malpractices continued. \u201cTo this day such things are deepening. And if we continue on this path, it will be impossible to hold free and fair elections in 2026. It is not possible even now to hold free and fair by-elections. I have been a participant campaigning in those elections myself. This is not the atmosphere under which you can hold free and fair elections.<\/p>\n

The SP President said it is worrying that the institutions of governance such as the Judiciary, Police and the Electoral Commission of Zambia-ECZ, are losing credibility.<\/p>\n

Dr. M\u2019membe said Zambia and his party in particular is ready to work with the EU to maintain peace. \u201cIf elections become less and less credible, people will turn to themselves. Elections are not the only way of choosing leaders,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Opposition Leader said people can choose leaders in many other ways if elections lose extreme credibility but that his party sincerely believes that the best way to choose leaders is through elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll other forms of choosing leaders are not sustainable and do not lead to stability. All the time, they lead to instability. Those who want a peaceful world cannot be opposed to free, fair and peaceful elections. We do not want you to send us aid because we are paralyzed by instability. We want you to help us to hold free and fair elections that are peaceful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dr. M\u2019membe said the clear path Zambia has taken will lead to serious problems in the 2026 General Election as opposition are not allowed to hold meetings.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot have a situation where opposition political parties cannot even hold the smallest of meetings. And you want them to participate in an election? It\u2019s like in a soccer competition where you do not allow other teams to train but you just want them to come and enter the tournament while the other team is training,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The SP President said President Hakainde Hichilema has been holding meetings and rallies from the time he ascended to power in 2021 while no opposition leaders are allowed to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cHichilema is campaigning for 2026 but we are not allowed to do the same,\u201d he said. Dr. M\u2019membe said the UPND has perpetrated violence against the opposition political parties but that they are not allowed to defend themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain when all these institutions fail, people will turn to themselves and look at what they can do for themselves. That is not a recipe for good governance and stability. It\u2019s a recipe for instability,\u201d he said. The Opposition Leader said his party took the European Union Elections Follow-up Mission seriously.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe highly welcome your presence in our country and much more so your visit to our office. The last time I met your delegation, I asked that why do you summon us to your offices? Come to our little huts also and meet us in our own offices. I am grateful that request has been responded to favorably,\u201d he. This is contained in a statement issued by SP Director Media Brian Hapunda.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zambia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zambia. Leader of the opposition Socialist Party Zambia has met the European Union Delegation. Dr M\u2019membe during a meeting at his party\u2019s Headquarters in Garden Compound in Lusaka said the forthcoming election in Zambia will not be free and fair. M\u2019MEMBE BRIEFS EU DELEGATION ON ZAMBIA\u2019S \u2018UNPRECEDENTED SHRINKING\u2019 DEMOCRATIC SPACE Lusaka, Wednesday (January […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":57226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,10],"tags":[234,235,233],"class_list":["post-57227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-parties","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-zambia","tag-zambia"],"yoast_head":"\n2026 ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR, M\u2019MEMBE TELLS EU DELEGATION - Zambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2026 ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR, M\u2019MEMBE TELLS EU DELEGATION\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Zambia. Leader of the opposition Socialist Party Zambia has met the European Union Delegation. Dr M\u2019membe during a meeting at his party\u2019s Headquarters in Garden Compound in Lusaka said the forthcoming election in Zambia will not be free and fair. M\u2019MEMBE BRIEFS EU DELEGATION ON ZAMBIA\u2019S \u2018UNPRECEDENTED SHRINKING\u2019 DEMOCRATIC SPACE Lusaka, Wednesday (January […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-01T21:51:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"2026 ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR, M\u2019MEMBE TELLS EU DELEGATION\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-01T21:51:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation\"},\"wordCount\":798,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2024\/02\/sm_1706812385.177598.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Zambia\",\"Zambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"parties\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation\",\"name\":\"2026 ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR, M\u2019MEMBE TELLS EU DELEGATION - Zambia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2024\/02\/sm_1706812385.177598.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-01T21:51:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2024\/02\/sm_1706812385.177598.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2024\/02\/sm_1706812385.177598.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"2026 ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR, M\u2019MEMBE TELLS EU DELEGATION\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"2026 ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR, M\u2019MEMBE TELLS EU DELEGATION\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/\",\"name\":\"Zambia\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"2026 ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR, M\u2019MEMBE TELLS EU DELEGATION - Zambia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"2026 ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR, M\u2019MEMBE TELLS EU DELEGATION","og_description":"Africa-Press – Zambia. Leader of the opposition Socialist Party Zambia has met the European Union Delegation. Dr M\u2019membe during a meeting at his party\u2019s Headquarters in Garden Compound in Lusaka said the forthcoming election in Zambia will not be free and fair. M\u2019MEMBE BRIEFS EU DELEGATION ON ZAMBIA\u2019S \u2018UNPRECEDENTED SHRINKING\u2019 DEMOCRATIC SPACE Lusaka, Wednesday (January […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation","og_site_name":"Zambia","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2024-02-01T21:51:10+00:00","author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"2026 ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR, M\u2019MEMBE TELLS EU DELEGATION","datePublished":"2024-02-01T21:51:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation"},"wordCount":798,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2024\/02\/sm_1706812385.177598.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-Zambia","Zambia"],"articleSection":["all news","parties"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation","name":"2026 ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR, M\u2019MEMBE TELLS EU DELEGATION - Zambia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2024\/02\/sm_1706812385.177598.jpg","datePublished":"2024-02-01T21:51:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2024\/02\/sm_1706812385.177598.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2024\/02\/sm_1706812385.177598.jpg","width":1080,"height":720,"caption":"2026 ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR, M\u2019MEMBE TELLS EU DELEGATION"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/2026-elections-will-not-be-free-and-fair-mmembe-tells-eu-delegation#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"2026 ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR, M\u2019MEMBE TELLS EU DELEGATION"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/","name":"Zambia","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}