Women Must Get Winnable Seats

NGOCC demamds that political parties to honour pledges on female representation ahead of the 2026 general elections as adoption processes intensify.

By Francis Maingaila ♥️
Lusaka, Zambia24  -- (16-05-2026) -- The Non-governmental Gender Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has called on political parties to ensure that women are adopted in constituencies where they stand a realistic chance of winning, warning that continued placement of female candidates in unwinnable seats undermines genuine political inclusion.

NGOCC Board Chairperson Beauty Katebe told Zambia24 that political parties must honour commitments they made to increase women’s participation in elective positions by ensuring that at least 30 percent of adopted candidates are women.

Katebe said political parties are currently conducting candidate adoptions ahead of the nomination process and urged them to carry out the exercise in a transparent and fair manner as the country heads towards the August 13, 2026 General Elections.

She stressed that women should not be included in party lists merely for symbolic purposes, but should instead be strategically positioned in competitive constituencies where they have real prospects of victory.

“True inclusion requires more than token representation. It means placing women in constituencies where they have a genuine chance of winning, not relegating them to unwinnable seats,” she said.

Katebe further urged political parties to recognise women who have demonstrated leadership, credibility, and grassroots engagement, warning against sidelining them in favour of male candidates with weaker community ties.

She said NGOCC had already submitted lists of qualified female candidates to political parties, arguing that there should be no justification for failing to meet the 30 percent target.

Katebe expressed concern that women remain significantly underrepresented in governance structures, noting that they accounted for less than 15 percent in the recently dissolved Parliament and only about seven percent at local government level.

She said the ongoing adoption process presents a critical opportunity to reverse this trend and strengthen inclusive democracy in Zambia.

The NGOCC Board Chairperson also cautioned political parties against confining women to proportional representation (PR) seats, arguing that such positions should complement, not replace, participation in the 226 First-Past-the-Post constituencies.

“Restricting women to PR seats risks structural exclusion disguised as inclusion,” she said.

Katebe added that Zambia must align its electoral practices with regional and global commitments, including the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, which advocate for equal representation of women and men in leadership.

She said NGOCC would continue monitoring adoption processes across political parties and publicly reporting on gender representation by constituency type and party strongholds.

NGOCC has since urged political parties to demonstrate genuine commitment to inclusive democracy by placing more women in winnable constituencies ahead of the 2026 elections.