Update: Kalaba backs EU election report, says ZNBC gave the ruling party 96.2% of television airtime

Update: Earlier coverage reported reactions to the EU observers' report. New since then: Citizens First received the report and its president, Harry Kalaba, has endorsed it and set out the reforms he wants. Citizens First (CF) president Harry Kalaba has said he largely accepts the findings of the European Union Election Observation Mission on Zambia's 13 August 2026 general elections and wants its recommendations to guide reforms before the next polls. He spoke in Lusaka after the mission handed the party its official report. "The report raised several concerns about the conduct of the 13 August 2026 General Elections," he said. He pointed to the report's finding that the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) gave 96.2 per cent of its television airtime to the ruling party, which he said undermined the fairness of the vote. He also cited the report's view that the campaign timetable set by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) created unequal conditions, and its references to alleged police bias and political cadreism, which he said held back opposition campaigning. Mr Kalaba said the report's mention of the suspension of vote counting and the closure of courts at a critical stage raised questions about transparency and access to justice. He warned that future elections could be affected if the concerns about media coverage and unequal campaign conditions are not dealt with. ## Background President Hakainde Hichilema and the United Party for National Development (UPND) were re-elected on 13 August. The Government and the EU have since traded differing views in public on the report and on what it says about democratic space. The suspension of counting is also at the centre of the sedition case against opposition presidential candidate Brian Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu, who are accused over Facebook posts of 14 August in which Mr Mundubile called on the ECZ to resume counting votes. They have not been convicted, and a court has ruled t