Zambia :

Brian Mundubile, the NRPUP presidential candidate, has called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia and the Zambia Police Service to resolve three issues he says threaten the credibility of this week’s national vote, ranging from confusion over how ballots should be marked to what he described as the abduction of his campaign officials.

Speaking in a press briefing on Sunday, Mundubile said Zambians had for years understood that a ballot is validly marked with an X, and questioned why the Commission would introduce alternative marks at such a late stage. He cited Regulation 33(d), which he said confirms an X as the recognised mark, and argued that anything else amounts to a spoiled vote.

“We are therefore very surprised that ECZ is coming up with other marks that may not be necessarily provided for under the regulations,” he said. “No voter should arrive at the polling station wondering whether they should use a tick, an X, a line, or some other symbol.”

Mundubile urged the Commission to withdraw the guidance and revert to a single, uniform instruction, warning that mixed messaging so close to polling day risked undermining public confidence in a process he said should be simple and consistent for every voter, from first-time voters in Lusaka to elderly residents in remote villages.

On the second issue, Mundubile questioned the electoral timetable’s provision for results to begin being published from 17 August, several days after polling. He argued that with modern telecommunications and digital transmission systems, there is no reason presidential results cannot be substantially collated and announced within 24 hours of polls closing.

“Prolonged delays create anxiety. Delays create suspicion,” he said, adding that every polling station result should be protected and every party agent given access to the official tally at that level before it is transmitted nationally.

The third and most serious concern raised by Mundubile centred on what he characterised as a pattern of arrests, detentions and what he termed abductions involving individuals linked to his campaign, media personnel and content creators in the closing days of the race. He named several people he said had been picked up, including two campaign associates detained earlier in the week and, he said, an ambassador and a media worker taken that same day in an incident he alleged involved unregistered vehicles and gunfire.

He also referenced 32 security personnel he said were arrested in Mongu, and separate incidents in Western Province where he said his convoy was confronted and a rally dispersed using tear gas, along with similar disruptions in Solwezi, Mwinilunga, Chingola, Ndola and Kitwe.

Mundubile’s characterisation of these incidents as abductions is his own account and has not been independently confirmed. The Zambia Police Service had not responded to the specific allegations at the time of publication, and this report will be updated to reflect any official response once received.

Addressing officers directly, Mundubile said the police service belongs to the Republic and not to any political party, and appealed for professionalism regardless of a citizen’s political affiliation. “Where an offence has generally been committed, the law must take its course. But arrests must never become a political weapon,” he said.

He extended the same appeal to the Commission, saying its responsibility over the coming days is historic and calling on it to keep voting instructions clear, protect every polling station result, and announce the outcome without unnecessary delay.

Mundubile closed by urging his supporters to remain calm and avoid provocation, telling them to vote peacefully and mark their ballots clearly with an X. He said the election belongs to the Zambian people rather than to government or opposition, and that institutions and leaders come and go while the republic endures.

Zambians go to the polls this Thursday to elect a president, members of parliament and local government representatives, with results expected to be announced by the Commission in the days that follow.

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