THE POLITICAL marriage between the Tonse Alliance and the Resolute Party (RP) may have looked united on paper, but according to RP president Dr Martin Phiri, the relationship has already left 72 parliamentary constituencies without any alliance candidate.
Dr Phiri disclosed that initially RP and Brian Mundubile's National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) agreed to share constituencies before filing in nominations for the 2026 General Election.
According to Dr Phiri, RP was supposed to field parliamentary candidates in Lusaka, Copperbelt and Eastern provinces, while NRPUP would field candidates in the remaining provinces.
However, he said when nominations opened, NRPUP also started adopting candidates in areas that had already been allocated to the Resolute Party.
"We were shocked when they started filing candidates in our regions. That's how we ended up with two alliance candidates contesting the same constituency," Dr Phiri said.
He said in response, Resolute Party also started fielding candidates in some of the areas that had been allocated to NRPUP.
Dr Phiri said because of the confusion, his party only managed to field 46 parliamentary candidates while NRPZ fielded about 154.
He said instead of covering all the constituencies as originally planned, the two parties ended up competing against each other in some areas while failing to field candidates in 72 constituencies.
"There was no proper coordination, no trust and no credibility. That is why we have ended up without candidates in 72 constituencies," he said.
Dr Phiri said the alliance leadership later asked candidates who had filed in the wrong constituencies to withdraw.
However, he said many refused because they had already paid nomination fees and spent money on campaigns.
"Some wanted K500,000, others wanted K1 million before they could withdraw because they had already spent their money," he said.
He added that the confusion has also caused divisions on the ground, with alliance members fighting each other instead of working together.
"There are serious misunderstandings. People who are supposed to be allies are now competing against each other. It is something that could have been avoided," said Dr Phiri.
He warned that if the situation is not resolved, the alliance could weaken its own chances in several constituencies ahead of the August general election.
Kalemba July 13, 2026