LUSAKA - The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) says it directly observed the misuse of state resources at campaign events held by the ruling UPND across eight provinces during the 2026 General Election campaign.
In its preliminary statement, the EU EOM said the campaign period was characterised by an unlevel playing field, with significant disparities in resources and advantages associated with incumbency favouring the ruling party.
The Mission said President Hakainde Hichilema held large campaign rallies in every province, which were presented as working visits or community engagements.
However, the EU EOM said its observers directly witnessed the misuse of state resources at campaign events in Luapula, Southern, Central, North-Western, Muchinga, Northern, Copperbelt and Eastern provinces.
The Mission said the UPND also used government platforms for campaign messaging, citing the Civil Service Commission's July 14 announcement of 2,600 health worker positions.
It said President Hichilema subsequently promoted the recruitment of volunteer nurses at 28 rallies and, at 15 of those rallies, announced that volunteer nurses and teachers present would be employed and instructed that their names be recorded.
The EU EOM said it directly observed nurses attending the rallies and providing their details on three occasions, including two instances on the Copperbelt and one in Eastern Province.
The Mission further said that in 18 campaign speeches, President Hichilema promised continuity and expansion of the social cash transfer programme, often alongside the cash-for-work scheme, while instructing that eligible residents who were not yet enrolled be recorded in Masaiti and Lufwanyama districts.
The Mission also cited the August 1 announcement of an immediate increase in University of Zambia student accommodation allowances from K3,900 to K5,850 as another instance of what it described as the blurring of campaign and state functions.
According to the EU EOM, voter inducement is explicitly prohibited, but indications of voter inducement were observed in one-third of campaign events monitored across nine provinces, mainly involving the UPND, including directly observed cash handouts.
The Mission said that on August 4, during a rally in Chambishi, President Hichilema ordered ZESCO to connect 16,000 households in the Kwa Kabaso area to the electricity grid, lower their charges and promised to personally cover the connection fees.
The EU EOM said the development combined voter inducement with the use of government power for campaign purposes.
EU EOM Chief Observer Michael McNamara said the electoral process was conducted in an environment that limited fundamental freedoms, with late legal changes, legal uncertainty and unequal campaign conditions, which he said distorted the playing field.
Meanwhile, Head of the European Parliament Delegation Reinhold Lopatka called on political leaders to ensure that their supporters refrain from violence and urged that any disputes arising from the electoral process be resolved peacefully through established legal procedures.
Source: European Union Election Observation Mission