At Stake in this Election:  

• The Presidency of Zambia 

• Elections for the National Assembly of Zambia are occurring concurrently. 

Government Structure: 

• Chief of State: Hakainde HICHILEMA (since 12 August 2021) 

• Head of Government: Hakainde HICHILEMA (since 12 August 2021) 

• Assembly: unicameral National Assembly consisting of up to 167 members. Together, the National Assembly of Zambia and the President of Zambia constitute a national Parliament. 

Electoral System: 

• The President is directly elected in a first past the post system.  

• Members of the National Assembly serve a 5-year, renewable terms. 

• 226 members of the National Assembly are directly elected at a constituency level, using a first past the post voting system.  

• An additional 40 members are elected via proportional representation, to seats reserved for women, youth, and persons with disabilities. 

• The President may also appoint up to 11 additional members to the National Assembly. Members of Parliament indirectly elect 1 Speaker and 1 Deputy Speaker, selecting from candidates outside of the Parliament. They also indirectly elect a Second Deputy Speaker from within the Parliament. The (1) Vice President also serves as a member of the National Assembly 

Last Election:  

The last election for the Zambian President was held on August 1, 2021. Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) won the race, securing 57.86% of the vote. Voter turnout was 71%.  

Information for Voters: 

The Electoral Commission of Zambia is publishing regular updates to its Facebook page.  

Key Deadlines:  

• Candidate filing deadline: May 22, 2026 

• Voter registration deadline: November 11, 2025 

Main Candidates in this Election: 

• Kelvin Bwalya 

• • Party: Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) 

• Given Chansa 

• • Party: Movement for Economic Emancipation (MEE) 

• Xavier Chungu 

• • Party: Liberal Democrats Party (LDP) 

• Hakainde Hichilema 

• • Party: United Party for National Development (UPND) 

• Harry Kalaba 

• • Party: Citizens First (CF) 

• Given Katuta 

• • Party: Independent 

• Howard Kunda 

• • Party: Zambia Wake Up Party (ZAWAPA) 

• Fred M’Membe 

• • Party: Socialist Party (SP) 

• Brian Mundubile 

• • Party: National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) 

• Brian Mushimba 

• • Party: Organised People’s Party (OPP) 

• Ackim Njobvu 

• • Party: Democratic Union (DU) 

• Daniel Pule  

• • Party: Christian Democratic Party (CDP) 

• Richwell Siamunene 

• • Party: New Focus Party (NFP) 

• Richard Silumbe 

• • Party: Leadership Movement (LM) 

This list represents candidates approved to run in the elections. It does not account for withdrawals from the race. 

Country Context: 

• Population: 21,913,874 (2025 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 8,786,300 (2026 est.) 

• V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index Score: 0.50 (2025) 

• V-Dem Regimes of the World Classification: Autocratic Gray Zone (2025) 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.595, Medium, Rank 154 (2023)   

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 11,065,695 (2025 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980, Ratified 21 June 1985 date  

• Gender Quota:  Yes; with 2026 electoral reforms, a minimum of 20 seats are reserved for women.  

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 25 out of 167 (15%) in the National Assembly of Zambia  

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Medium, 29.5 (2023)  

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 9 May 2008, Ratified, 1 February 2010 

• Projected population with a disability: 3,506,220 (2025 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• ElectionJudgments: Yes, 3 judgements