CSOs Urge Evidence-Based Delimitation

By Francis Maingaila ♥️ 

Lusaka, Zambia24, Tuesday, March 3, 2026 — The Consortium of Civil Society Organizations for Good Governance and Constitutionalism has urged an evidence-based approach to the ongoing delimitation process, while welcoming the openness demonstrated by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and raising concern that transparency must be matched with responsiveness and constitutional consistency.

Consortium Vice Chairperson and AIPAC Executive Director Solomon Ngoma said the Consortium commends the people of Southern Province for conducting peaceful, orderly and constructive provincial delimitation sittings.

Ngoma said while the provincial meetings provided a platform for districts to submit their resolutions, the Consortium had expected the forums to also serve as deliberative spaces where provincial delegates could openly discuss, debate and rationalize the proposed numbers of new constituencies.

He said such engagement would have helped narrow proposals to realistic and constitutionally defensible figures, guided by demographic data, voter distribution, geographic considerations and recognition that equity does not necessarily mean that every district should receive a new seat.

Ngoma said the Consortium, which is actively monitoring the ongoing delimitation process conducted by ECZ, observed that citizens, traditional leaders, civic actors and district representatives participated with maturity, discipline and respect for procedure.

He noted that ECZ’s decision to allow independent stakeholders, including civil society, to monitor and participate in the exercise added a layer of transparency to the process.

However, Ngoma stressed that transparency must go hand in hand with responsiveness, adding that the Consortium expects the Commission to meaningfully incorporate feedback received from stakeholders and provincial delegates.

Ngoma also expressed appreciation to the Commission for granting the Consortium Chairperson an opportunity to address delegates during the Southern Province meeting and to offer technical feedback.

He said in his remarks, the Chairperson emphasized the urgent need for the Commission to adopt and consistently apply a clear, objective and nationally applicable formula for determining the allocation of new constituencies.

Ngoma further said the Chairperson cautioned districts and members of the public to manage their expectations, noting that not all districts would be allocated new constituencies under the current constitutional framework.

He reiterated the Consortium’s recommendation for the adoption of a Weighted Composite Index as a scientific and transparent method for allocating new constituencies.

Ngoma explained that this approach balances population size, voter concentration, geographic vastness and accessibility challenges, ensuring consistency across provinces while protecting the principle of equality of the vote and addressing rural hardship.

He added that a formula-based model reduces perceptions of arbitrariness and shields the Commission from unnecessary political pressure or post-process litigation.

Ngoma said as the process progresses beyond Southern Province, the Consortium strongly desires to monitor all remaining provincial meetings where districts are presenting their resolutions to the Commission.

He said comprehensive observation is critical to ensuring credibility, public confidence and national ownership of the final outcome.

Ngoma stated that Southern Province has demonstrated that delimitation can be conducted peacefully and constructively and urged other provinces to emulate this spirit of discipline and democratic engagement.

He reaffirmed that the Consortium remains committed to supporting a transparent, participatory and evidence-based delimitation process that strengthens Zambia’s representative democracy and safeguards the integrity of the country’s constitutional order.