Zambia's Chief Justice Confirms Receipt of Opposition Petition Sent to His Private Email, Refers It to Constitutional Court

**Lusaka, 25 August 2026** — Zambia's Judiciary has confirmed that Chief Justice Dr. Mumba Malila, SC, received a copy of the so-called "people's presidential petition" through his private email address, an irregular filing that came after superior courts across the country were closed to the public on the final day of the constitutional window for challenging the results of the August 13 general election. In a press statement issued Tuesday by Deputy Director of Corporate Communications Kalumba Chisambisha-Slavin, the Judiciary said the Chief Justice's office had received an electronic communication from a member of the public containing documentation styled as the "people's presidential petition," along with supporting materials seeking to challenge the outcome of the presidential poll. The statement noted that the Judiciary was "aware of ongoing social media assertions claiming that this petition has been formally and duly filed," but stopped short of confirming that status. While Chief Justice Malila described the use of his private address to transmit official court documents as "highly irregular," the Judiciary said he had, "quite exceptionally, using his administrative powers," referred the documents to the Constitutional Court for its consideration on the question of whether the petition was properly filed. Affected parties, the statement said, should expect to hear from the Court "in due course." ## Courts locked on the deadline day The episode capped a chaotic final day for petitioners. President Hakainde Hichilema was declared winner of the August 13 election with 2,965,326 votes (60.49 percent), against 1,856,217 votes (37.87 percent) for opposition candidate Brian Mundubile of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity, running under the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance. Under Zambia's electoral law, a presidential petition must be lodged with the Constitutional Court within seven days of the declaration, setting Monday, August 24, as the dead