AT THIS STAGE, WHO QUALIFIES FOR NOMINATION TO PARLIAMENT IN ZAMBIA?
By Kenneth Ng’ona
To qualify for parliamentary nomination in Zambia, an individual must meet the foundational eligibility requirements set by the Electoral 6Commission of Zambia under Article 70 of the Constitution.
However, specific conditions apply depending on whether they are running under the Proportional Representation (PR) list system or being considered for Presidential Nomination.
1. General Qualifications for Parliament
Whether chosen via constituency elections or proportional lists, every candidate must meet these base criteria:
Citizenship:
Must be a registered Zambian citizen.
Age:
Must be at least 21 years old.
Voter Registration:
Must be a registered voter.
Education:
Must possess a full Grade 12 Certificate or its verified equivalent (requiring a minimum of 6 passed subjects including English).
Clean Record:
Must not have been convicted of an offense involving fraud or dishonesty within the last 5 years.
Financial Standing:
Must not be declared bankrupt.
Civil Status:
Cannot hold active public office (e.g., civil servants or police officers must resign before contesting).
Under Zambia’s newly enacted Mixed Member Proportional Representation (MMPR) framework (Bill 7), additional specific guidelines govern who can be nominated on a party’s PR seat list:
Target Demographics:
The 40 reserved PR seats are explicitly constitutionally designated to enhance the presence of women, youth, and persons living with disabilities. Aspirants must explicitly fit into one of these categories to be submitted on a party list.
Party Affiliation:
Unlike the 226 standard constituency seats which allow independent candidates, PR nominations are strictly party-tied. Political parties compile these lists prior to elections, and seats are distributed mathematically based on national presidential vote shares.
3. Qualifications for Presidential Nominations (Article 69)
The President has the authority to directly appoint nominated Members of Parliament to the National Assembly to ensure specialized skills and representation. To qualify for a presidential nomination, a person must meet all the foundational Article 70 criteria listed above, alongside two unique conditions:
The Electoral Disqualification (The “Loser” Rule):
Under Article 69(3), any individual who ran as a candidate in the immediate preceding general election or subsequent by-election is strictly disqualified from presidential nomination. The slot cannot be used to rescue candidates who lost at the ballot box.
Special Interest Criteria:
The individual must possess distinct attributes where the President deems it necessary to enhance special interests, specialized professional skills, or gender balance within the National Assembly.
Consecutive Limit Note:
There is no “once-only” restriction. A person who previously served as a nominated MP can legally be nominated again for a consecutive term, provided they did not run in the latest election.
The presidential race was heavily polarized between President Hakainde Hichilema of the ruling UPND and Brian Mundubile presidential candidate of the opposition NRPUP alliance. Together, these two parties captured the overwhelming majority of the national vote.
As a result, the ECZ formula mathematically split the 40 PR seats entirely between the two parties, allocating 24 seats to UPND and 16 seats to NRPUP.
Political Implications in Parliament
UPND Consolidation:
The 24 PR seats added to the UPND’s 138 constituency won seats propel the ruling party to a commanding 162 seat bloc in the National Assembly. This guarantees President Hakainde Hichilema a powerful legislative majority to pass policies without relying heavily on independent MPs.
NRPUP as Official Opposition:
The 16 PR seats bolster the NRPUP’s 60 constituency seats, bringing their total presence to 76 seats. This firmly cements the NRPUP under the Party presidency of Ezra Tembo as the official opposition in parliament to provide checks and balances.
The one who was fielded as NRPUP presidential candidate Brian Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu are both facing treason charges.
Lack of Constituency Burden:
Unlike standard lawmakers, these specific PR MPs from both UPND and NRPUP do not represent a single geographic constituency. Instead, they function as national level advocates for the marginalized interest groups (women, youth, PWD) that they were selected to represent.
