CAMPAIGNS ARE OVER, LET’S BUILD ZAMBIA

Former Chikankata aspiring candidate urges political leaders, women MPs and citizens to embrace unity, responsible engagement and national development.

By Francis Maingaila ♥️

Lusaka, Zambia24 — 24-08-2026 -  UPND member and former Chikankata Constituency aspiring candidate Harriet Mutinta Matongo has called for political maturity following the 2026 general elections, urging newly elected women MPs to use their positions to speak for all Zambian women while challenging losing candidates and their supporters to accept defeat and stop insults against President Hakainde Hichilema.

Ms Matongo said the conclusion of the elections should mark the beginning of a new phase in which political leaders put aside campaign rivalries and concentrate on issues affecting the country.

She said women who have secured seats in Parliament now carry a responsibility to represent not only the people who voted for them but women across the country who look to them for leadership.

“We want to encourage all the women that made it to Parliament to go there and represent all the women in Zambia because all of us women are looking up to them,” she said.

Ms Matongo said the participation of women in the elections was itself significant, regardless of whether individual candidates won or lost.

She said women constitute the majority of Zambia’s population and therefore deserve strong representation in Parliament and other decision-making institutions.

She congratulated all women who took part in the elections and urged those elected to Parliament to use their positions to push issues that affect women and families.

Ms Matongo said the new Parliament should therefore provide an opportunity for women leaders to demonstrate that their presence in politics can translate into meaningful representation and national development.

She also urged Zambians to participate peacefully in celebrations following the elections, saying citizens should appreciate the democratic process and the role they played in determining the country's leadership.

But Ms Matongo said the same political process should also teach candidates and their supporters to accept defeat.

“To the losers, please be good losers. It’s not time for you to bring all these kinds of things and stop all these insults that you are doing,” she said.

She said losing an election should not be treated as a reason to create tension or undermine peace, arguing that political contests come and go while the country remains.

Ms Matongo said political differences were part of democracy but should never be allowed to develop into tribalism, hate speech, violence or division among citizens.

She said politicians could disagree over policies and the direction of the country without turning their differences into personal attacks.

“The campaigns are over. We have a President. It is now time to move beyond campaign politics and focus on building our country,” Ms Matongo said.

She said the opposition still had an important role to play after the elections, stressing that accepting the election outcome did not mean abandoning democratic accountability.

According to Ms Matongo, opposition parties should provide constructive checks and balances, scrutinise government decisions and present alternative policies that could contribute to national development.

She said such an approach would allow political parties to compete on ideas and policies rather than insults and personal attacks.

Ms Matongo also turned her attention to social media, particularly comments coming from some Zambians living in the diaspora.

She urged political leaders, their supporters and social media users to exercise responsibility when making public statements, warning that inflammatory language could heighten tensions and divide citizens.

Ms Matongo condemned what she described as the use of social media platforms to insult President Hichilema, saying political disagreement did not give anyone the right to abuse the Head of State.

She said hiding behind a keyboard to insult the President was irresponsible and called on those involved to take responsibility for their conduct.

“Our Zambian culture does not allow us to insult our leaders or insult people that are older than us,” she said.

Ms Matongo, however, said respect for the President and the institution of the Presidency should not be interpreted as an end to democratic criticism.

She said citizens and opposition parties should remain free to question government decisions and demand accountability, but should do so in a responsible manner.

She said Zambia needed political leaders who could disagree firmly on national issues without turning political differences into hostility among ordinary citizens.

Ms Matongo urged Zambians to put the national interest above political differences and use the post-election period to promote reconciliation, unity and development.

She said the country could not afford to remain trapped in campaign politics when citizens were expecting leaders to address national challenges and improve their livelihoods.

“We can disagree without becoming enemies. Let us choose peace over conflict, unity over division and love over hatred. Zambia belongs to all of us,” she said.

Ms Matongo said the elections had come to an end and that the responsibility now rested on political leaders and citizens to protect the peace and unity of the country.

She urged Zambians at home and abroad to respect one another, saying political competition should not be allowed to destroy the social bonds that hold the country together.

For Ms Matongo, the post-election period should therefore be less about who won and who lost and more about how political leaders and citizens can work within a democratic system to move Zambia forward.