SENIOR NRPUP FIGURES CONCEDE AS PARTY ACCEPTS ELECTION OUTCOME
NRPUP concedes defeat, says “it’s not our time”
THE National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) has conceded defeat of last week’s general election.
The party’s presidential candidate Brian Mundubile came second, behind President Hakainde Hichilema who won the vote after garnering over 2.9 million votes.
NRPUP president Ezra Tembo said the party had accepted the results announced by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), which declared President-elect Hichilema the winner.
President-elect Hichilema secured a second five-year mandate after polling 2,965,326 votes, beating his closest challenger, NRPUP presidential candidate and Tonse Alliance leader Brian Mundubile, who obtained 1,856,217 votes.
Tembo said the party’s presidential candidate Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu had put up a spirited campaign despite the outcome.
Speaking during a post-election press briefing, Tembo said NRPUP was proud of its performance, considering that the party was less than three months old when it participated in the elections.
He said the party had moved from having no elected representatives to becoming the main opposition party with a number of Members of Parliament, as well as several council chairpersons and councillors across the country.
“This is no small achievement,” said Tembo.
Tembo also congratulated the newly elected NRPUP MPs, council chairpersons and councillors, saying their election had given the party a strong platform from which to provide checks and balances.
Tembo said the party would now focus on holding Government accountable while allowing the incoming administration to concentrate on governing the country.
“The election is over. It is time for Zambia to focus on development. We call on all Zambians to give President Hichilema and the UPND space to work as we offer checks and balances,” he said.
He said NRPUP would engage Government through Parliament and other democratic platforms to promote accountability and good governance.
Tembo also called on party members to desist from political violence and respect the outcome of the elections.
“This was not our time. We accept the outcome and remain committed to serving Zambia,” said Tembo.
He said democracy required citizens and political parties to respect the will of the people, even when the outcome was not what they had hoped for.
By George Musonda
Kalemba August 19, 2026