Zambia by-election ballot papers fail to arrive on time
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on News Diggers
Zambia’s electoral commission is investigating the absence of ballot papers for the 5 November 2026 by-elections after learning they were not on the expected flight. It is in contact with UAE printer Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing and Emirates Airline to establish the cause of the delay, according to director general Brown Kasaro, quoted by News Diggers.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) is trying to establish why ballot papers for the by-elections scheduled for 5 November in the Mandevu and Lumezi constituencies were not on the expected flight. It has contacted Dubai-based printer Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing and Emirates Airline, according to News Diggers, citing ECZ Director General Brown Kasaro.
The ECZ had been told that the consignment would arrive as planned, before learning that it had not in fact been loaded onto the flight. The elections are also to cover 12 local authority seats in five provinces, News Diggers reports.
Zambia’s ruling UPND is already assured of winning the parliamentary seats in Mandevu and Lumezi after its opponents withdrew, as well as the Mbala mayoralty. The withdrawals were reported on 29 October in the Mandevu by-election, while the possibility of an uncontested UPND victory in Mandevu was reported on the same day in Zambia.
