Zambia Universities and Colleges Model United Nations (ZUCMUN)

ZUCMUN POSITION PAPER

BEYOND THE LABEL: WHY ZAMBIA’S 2026 ELECTIONS MUST NOT BE REDUCED TO A “MESSY ELECTION”

By Zambian Universities and Colleges Model United Nations (ZUCMUN)

The Zambian Universities and Colleges Model United Nations (ZUCMUN) has noted with concern the recent commentary published by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), under the title “Zambia’s Messy Election,” authored by Michelle Gavin.

As an organisation committed to developing informed young leaders, strengthening international understanding and promoting responsible engagement with global affairs, ZUCMUN welcomes legitimate scrutiny of Zambia's democratic institutions. Democracy must withstand scrutiny. Elections must be examined. Institutions must be held accountable. And citizens must retain the right to question those entrusted with public authority.

However, scrutiny must be proportionate, evidence based and intellectually honest.

It is precisely on that basis that ZUCMUN respectfully but firmly challenges the characterization of Zambia's 2026 General Elections as a “messy election.”

The label is unnecessarily sweeping. More importantly, it risks obscuring a much more significant reality: Zambia conducted a national election in which millions of citizens participated, voting largely peacefully, while the country's security institutions worked under exceptionally demanding circumstances to protect the electoral process and preserve national stability.

A Peaceful Election Cannot Be Defined by Its Most Difficult Moments

The CFR commentary itself acknowledges an important fact: “election day itself proceeded smoothly and peacefully.”

That admission should not be treated as a minor footnote. It should be central to the assessment.

The preliminary findings of the African Union–COMESA Election Observation Mission provide substantial independent support for this conclusion. The Mission reported that voting was conducted in a generally peaceful and orderly environment in 98.6 percent of polling stations observed, while security officials were present and generally conducted themselves professionally.

The SADC Electoral Observation Mission similarly reported that the atmosphere was calm and peaceful at 275 of the 277 polling stations it observed. It further stated that the political environment in most areas of deployment was peaceful and that many stakeholders regarded the environment as an improvement compared with 2021.

These are not the observations of an election that can responsibly be dismissed through a generalized adjective.

They are evidence of a country whose citizens, electoral officials, political actors and security institutions largely succeeded in preventing political competition from degenerating into nationwide disorder.

That achievement deserves recognition.

Zambia's Security Wings Deserve Recognition, Not Suspicion

ZUCMUN particularly wishes to place on record its appreciation of Zambia's Security Wings for their vigilance throughout the electoral period.

Elections are not conducted in a vacuum. They take place within a national security environment involving political mobilisation, competing interests, misinformation, intelligence concerns, crowd management, protection of electoral materials and the prevention of violence.

The responsibility of the security establishment is therefore extraordinarily delicate.

It must protect citizens without unnecessarily interfering with their democratic rights.

It must maintain order without becoming a political actor.

It must respond to genuine threats without creating unnecessary panic.

And, above all, it must prevent isolated incidents from becoming national crises.

The available evidence demonstrates that Zambia's security architecture largely succeeded in this fundamental responsibility. The AU-COMESA Mission described overall electoral security as peaceful and conducive to holding the elections, while acknowledging isolated incidents and heightened tensions in particular areas.

Similarly, the international observation missions reported that security measures were in place at polling stations and that security personnel generally conducted themselves professionally.

That is an important national achievement.

In a continent where electoral contests have, in numerous instances, escalated into widespread violence, institutional paralysis and even armed conflict, Zambia's ability to contain localized disturbances should not be casually dismissed.

National Security Is Not a Trivial Consideration

This is where ZUCMUN fundamentally disagrees with the analytical framing of the CFR article.

The suspension of vote counting following reports of violence and theft of electoral materials is presented primarily as a source of public doubt.

But there is another equally important question:

What if the Electoral Commission of Zambia had continued counting despite credible security threats?

Would that have been responsible?

Would international observers have preferred the continuation of a process potentially exposing election officials, observers, political agents and citizens to violence?

Would the failure to protect electoral materials have strengthened or weakened democratic legitimacy?

Democracy is not merely about counting votes.

Democracy also requires the preservation of the conditions under which votes can safely be counted.

The AU-COMESA preliminary statement itself confirms that serious incidents were reported and that the ECZ subsequently informed stakeholders of its decision to suspend counting and announcement of results.

The appropriate democratic response is therefore not automatically to portray the suspension as evidence of electoral dysfunction.

It is to ask whether the decision was lawful, necessary, proportionate and properly communicated.

Those are legitimate questions.

But they are fundamentally different from declaring the entire election “messy.”

Transparency and Security Are Not Opposing Values

ZUCMUN agrees with one central proposition advanced by Michelle Gavin: transparency matters.

The ECZ should provide timely, clear and comprehensive explanations whenever extraordinary decisions are taken during an election.

Public confidence thrives on information.

However, transparency must not be confused with the obligation to disclose sensitive operational or intelligence information in real time.

There are circumstances in which authorities must act first and explain later. Particularly where disclosure could compromise investigations, expose intelligence sources, endanger individuals or undermine national security operations.

The responsible democratic question is therefore not:

“Why wasn't everything immediately disclosed?”

It is:

“Was the intervention justified, lawful, proportionate, and subsequently subjected to appropriate accountability?”

That is a much more sophisticated standard.

The Danger of Foreign Analytical Overreach

There is an uncomfortable tendency in some international commentary on African elections to elevate isolated irregularities into narratives of democratic collapse.

ZUCMUN believes this approach requires reconsideration.

Zambia is a sovereign constitutional democracy.

Its democratic institutions are imperfect as are democratic institutions everywhere but Zambia must be assessed through evidence rather than through predetermined narratives about African democratic decline.

Indeed, the international observation evidence does not support a simplistic description of the election as chaotic.

The SADC preliminary assessment found the election day atmosphere peaceful at 275 out of 277 polling stations observed.

The AU-COMESA Mission found voting peaceful and orderly in 98.6 percent of polling stations observed.

The ICGLR Mission similarly reported that observed processes were, on the whole, transparent, fair, legal and peaceful, with security personnel conducting themselves professionally.

These findings do not establish perfection.

But they do establish something profoundly important:

Zambia's 2026 General Election was overwhelmingly peaceful at the point where ordinary citizens exercised their most fundamental democratic right, the casting of their ballots.

Imperfection Is Not the Same as Democratic Failure

ZUCMUN does not argue that Zambia's electoral process was flawless.

There were concerns relating to campaigning, electoral reforms, media access, isolated violence, counting and tabulation, and other institutional matters. The observation missions have appropriately identified areas requiring improvement.

These concerns should be investigated.

They should be debated.

They should inform future electoral reforms.

But responsible scholarship must distinguish between electoral imperfections and democratic failure.

A democracy does not become illegitimate because it encounters institutional difficulties.

Indeed, the ability of institutions to confront disputes, investigate allegations, permit lawful challenges and improve future processes is itself a measure of democratic resilience.

Zambians Should Not Be Robbed of Their Achievement

Perhaps the most problematic consequence of describing the 2026 election simply as “messy” is that it risks diminishing the achievement of ordinary Zambians.

Millions of citizens went to polling stations.

They waited in queues.

They cast ballots.

Political parties deployed agents.

Observers monitored polling stations.

Electoral officials administered the process.

Security officers protected polling places.

And, despite political competition and isolated incidents, the country did not descend into nationwide electoral violence.

That is not a trivial accomplishment.

That is democracy functioning under pressure.

ZUCMUN's Call: Critique Zambia, But Do Not Condemn Zambia

ZUCMUN therefore calls upon international policy institutions, scholars, journalists and democratic governance organisations to engage Zambia with intellectual fairness.

We welcome constructive criticism.

We welcome election observation.

We welcome institutional reform recommendations.

We welcome international solidarity with Zambia's democratic journey.

But we reject simplistic narratives that reduce a complex national democratic exercise to a convenient headline.

Zambia deserves scrutiny but it also deserves recognition.

Its institutions deserve accountability but they also deserve acknowledgement when they protect national stability.

Its citizens deserve criticism when they violate democratic norms but they equally deserve praise when they demonstrate political maturity and restraint.

And its Security Wings deserve particular recognition for remaining alert to threats to national peace and intervening where necessary to prevent localized incidents from becoming a wider national catastrophe.

The lesson of 2026 should therefore not simply be that Zambia had a “messy election.”

The more accurate lesson is this:

Zambia conducted a largely peaceful national election under difficult circumstances, demonstrated considerable institutional and societal resilience, successfully contained localized threats to public order, and now has an opportunity to strengthen transparency, electoral administration and public confidence even further.

That is a more balanced assessment.

That is a more African assessment.

And, most importantly, that is an assessment that respects the intelligence, resilience and democratic agency of the Zambian people.

Conclusion: Democracy Must Be Protected, Not Merely Observed

ZUCMUN believes that the future of democracy in Zambia cannot be built by either uncritical praise or indiscriminate condemnation.

It must be built through truth, accountability, institutional maturity, national responsibility and respect for sovereignty.

International observers and foreign policy institutions have an important role to play. But observation must never become prescription, and criticism must never become caricature.

The 2026 elections should become an opportunity for Zambia to ask difficult questions, strengthen its institutions and deepen democratic confidence.

But let us also acknowledge what millions of Zambians demonstrated:

They chose the ballot over violence.
They chose participation over apathy.
They chose constitutional politics over political chaos.
And, in the face of isolated threats, Zambia remained standing.

That is not a story of democratic collapse.

It is a story of a democracy under pressure and a nation that largely held the line.

Council on Foreign Relations U.S. Embassy Zambia United Nations in Zambia ZNBC Today Hakainde Hichilema
Zambia Universities and Colleges Model United Nations (ZUCMUN)

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RETHINKING GLOBAL DIPLOMACY

As Africa's influence in global affairs continues to grow, there is an urgent need to cultivate leaders capable of navigating an increasingly complex International Diplomatic Landscape.

In this thought leadership series, EXPLORING GLOBAL DIPLOMACY THROUGH AN AFRICAN LENS, the Zambian Universities and Colleges Model United Nations (ZUCMUN) examines the role of leadership development, diplomacy, and global citizenship in shaping Africa's future.

The first article explores how Model United Nations simulations are building the next generation of African leaders equipped to drive positive change locally, regionally, and globally.

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The Zambian Universities and Colleges Model United Nations (ZUCMUN) is pleased to share exciting volunteer opportunities available through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Zambia.

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INTERSHIP OPPORTUNITY - World Vision Zambia

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Are you passionate about development, leadership, and creating lasting impact?

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There is one (1) position open for the position below.

Apply today.


https://app.unv.org/opportunities/1784888021269395

🌍 UN VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN ZAMBIA 🇿🇲

Are you passionate about development, leadership, and creating lasting impact?

The United Nations System in Zambia is calling for dedicated volunteers to support various initiatives advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

Take the next step in your professional and leadership journey. Explore available opportunities and become part of a global movement for sustainable development.

There is one (1) position open for the position below.

Apply today.


https://app.unv.org/opportunities/1784888021269397