PRESS STATEMENT BY THE ZCID ON THE CALL FOR POLITICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND THE OPPOSITION
15/04/2025
The Zambia Centre for Interparty Dialogue (ZCID) welcomes the recent call for dialogue made by His Excellency, President Hakainde Hichilema, during the burial of the late Hon. Edith Nawakwi. The President’s public invitation to engage with the opposition marks a timely and necessary step toward fostering national unity and reconciliation.
ZCID believes that this call comes at a crucial moment for our country. As we draw closer to the 2026 General Elections, Zambia stands at a crossroads where genuine dialogue can play a healing role, restore trust among political actors, and create a stable platform for peaceful and inclusive democratic processes.
We acknowledge that such a dialogue is long overdue. The Zambian people yearn for a political environment defined not by division, but by mutual respect, accountability, and shared commitment to national development. Dialogue offers the opportunity to address pressing concerns, including electoral reforms, political party regulation, and matters of governance—while also setting a tone of cooperation ahead of the elections.
ZCID remains committed to its mandate as a neutral and inclusive platform for interparty dialogue. We are ready to facilitate and support a structured engagement process between the government and the opposition, guided by principles of transparency, mutual respect, and national interest.
In this regard, we call on all political parties and stakeholders to embrace this opportunity with sincerity and patriotism. Zambia’s democracy can only thrive when leaders talk to each other—not about each other and when we place our collective future above partisan interests.
_The time to dialogue is now_.
Issued by:
Doreen Njovu-Kabwe
ExecutiveDirector- ZCID
PRESS STATEMENT BY THE ZCID ON THE CALL FOR POLITICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND THE OPPOSITION
