Mundubile’s Easten Rally Dreams Halted by ECZ
…Commission Cancels Transparent Programme, Orders New Timetable
By Staff Reporter | Lusaka, 18 June 2026
Tonse Pamodzi Alliance president Hon. Brian Mundubile’s public rallies have been cancelled by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) in one stroke of a pen, in a statement issued in Lusaka today by Commission Chief Electoral Officer Brown Kasaro.
According to the memo, Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu can now only hold one public political rally in the eastern hub town of Petauke, instead of the planned seven in total.
After that, everything comes to an end until the ECZ comes up with what it calls a “coherent timetable.”
So far, only Mundubile and his team have released a transparent programme of rallies, beginning with Petauke tomorrow, Chipata on Sunday, and continuing into Muchinga Province.
The ECZ advisory, however, shows that Mundubile’s rally dreams in the eastern and northern provinces — areas where he enjoys huge popularity — have been nipped in the bud.
Kasaro’s statement reads in part: “All presidential candidates may proceed with their already scheduled campaign programmes up to Friday, 19th June 2026. Thereafter, campaigns must be conducted strictly in accordance with an official Presidential Campaign Timetable to be developed and administered by the Commission.”
The Commission has summoned all fourteen presidential candidates to a meeting on Monday, 22nd June, to agree on the timetable that will guide campaign activities for the remainder of the period.
The ECZ insists this measure is meant to promote fairness and order, citing electoral law provisions that empower it to regulate campaign conduct.
Yet, pundits have expressed concern that Mundubile continues to be “targeted” by state machinery ahead of the crucial 13 August polls.
Last week, Mundubile halted traffic in Kitwe on the Copperbelt, drew mammoth crowds in Ndola’s Chipulukusu slum, and electrified Kabwe in Central Province, where thousands walked from townships under the scorching 25 degree heat to hear his message of change.
His rallies have become a magnet for Zambia’s youth, who make up more than 60 percent of the population but face unemployment rates hovering above 40 percent.
The poverty statistics are stark: more than half of Zambians live below the poverty line, while the cost of living continues to rise with food inflation biting hardest in urban compounds.
Mundubile has pledged to move the Ministry of Youth to State House, arguing that creative industries, agriculture, and mining must be harnessed to generate jobs.
“Governments should change via parties, but the nation should remain,” he told supporters recently, promising that 50 percent of business opportunities would be reserved for Zambians.
With the lantern — or lamp — as their symbol on the ballot paper, Mundubile and Zulu have cast themselves as bearers of light in a shrinking democratic space. Critics now wonder why the ECZ is becoming an enforcer rather than a neutral referee.
This is a developing story. Mundubile is yet to comment.