🇿🇲 The 2026 presidential election in Zambia: A new stage for one of Africa's most stable democracies. Part 2

This is the second part of our analysis of Zambia’s 2026 general elections. The first part focused on the presidential race. We now turn to the elections to the National Assembly and the new rules that will determine its composition.

On 13 August 2026, Zambians will vote simultaneously for the President and members of the National Assembly, the country’s unicameral legislature. The parliamentary elections will be held for the first time under the constitutional amendments adopted in 2025, which significantly reshape the composition of the legislature and introduce elements of proportional representation.

The National Assembly will continue to elect 226 Members of Parliament from single-member constituencies under the first-past-the-post system. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes in each constituency will win the seat. Alongside these constituency seats, the reform creates 40 additional seats reserved for underrepresented groups: 20 for women, 15 for young people and 5 for persons with disabilities.

These reserved seats will not be contested through a separate nationwide vote. Instead, following the presidential election, they will be allocated among political parties in proportion to the total number of valid votes received by each party’s presidential candidate. The detailed allocation procedure is prescribed by law.

Supporters argue that the reform will make the National Assembly more representative by giving a greater political voice to groups that have historically been underrepresented. Critics, however, contend that linking the allocation of these seats to the presidential vote could strengthen the parliamentary position of the winning party by converting broad nationwide support into additional mandates.

The Constitution of Zambia also allows the President to nominate up to 11 Members of Parliament, provided that presidential nominees do not exceed 5% of the constituency-based members. In addition, the Vice-President, the Speaker, the First Deputy Speaker and the Second Deputy Speaker are members of the National Assembly by virtue of their offices.

As a result, the National Assembly does not have a fixed overall size. While 266 seats are filled through the electoral process, the final number of members depends on how many representatives are nominated by the President.

The outcome of the parliamentary elections will determine the balance of power in the National Assembly and shape the next government’s ability to pass legislation, approve the national budget and implement its political and economic agenda.

🌏 Author: CIIC expert Arina Salivon