At the invitation of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), the ECF-SADC deployed the observer Mission for this election led by Hon. Justice Annabel Mtalimanja, Chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and deputised by Dr. Elsie Nghikembua, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN). The Mission comprised forty observers drawn from eleven (11) member Commissions.
The Mission deployed from 5 to 16 August 2026 and covered five of Zambia’s ten provinces, namely Lusaka, Southern, Central, Eastern and Copperbelt Provinces. Although the Mission was initially scheduled to conclude its deployment on 16 August 2026, it resolved to maintain a reduced presence in Zambia following the ECZ’s public announcement of 14 August 2026 suspending the counting and announcement of election results. Accordingly, the Mission leadership remained in the country until 19 August 2026 to continue monitoring developments in the post-election period. During this period, the Mission observed the results tallying and announcement processes, engaged the ECZ in a peer-support capacity, and coordinated with other international election observation missions involved in confidence-building and preventive diplomacy initiatives. This extended presence enabled the Mission to assess the immediate post-election environment and provided a sufficient basis for the findings and observations contained in this Preliminary Statement.
