OPPOSITION STRONGER BUT DIVIDED, SAYS CHONGU …warns fragmentation could hand victory to UPND in August elections

By NATION REPORTER OPPOSITION political parties are currently stronger than the ruling party but risk losing the August 13, 2026 general election if they remain fragmented, Citizens First National Youth Chairman Maxwell Chongu has warned.In an interview, Mr Chongu said the opposition had gained significant political strength while the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) appeared to have weakened before completing its first term in office.“All I can tell you is that the opposition in general is very strong at the moment compared to the ruling party,” Mr Chongu said.“It is shocking in the history of Zambian politics. For the first time, we are seeing a ruling party become weak in less than five years. It means it has failed to connect with the people.”However, Mr Chongu warned that opposition strength alone would not be enough to secure victory if opposition parties continued competing against one another.“The opposition is stronger than the ruling party. That is a fact,” he said. “But we need to have one voice. We ought to speak one language. Even our strategies must be strong. If our strategies are poor, then we might not succeed.”He said one of the biggest mistakes opposition parties were making was treating each other as rivals instead of focusing on the ruling party.“One of the biggest mistakes I have observed is that the opposition is competing against itself,” Mr Chongu said. “That, on its own, is creating distrust and division, and that will affect us when it comes to the vote.”Mr Chongu said a fragmented opposition would divide the anti-UPND vote and hand victory to the ruling party.He warned that the UPND still had a strong political base which should not be underestimated, adding that the ruling party could retain power if opposition votes were scattered among several candidates.“Whether we like it or not, UPND got 2.8 million votes in 2021,” he said. “That means UPND still has a base from which it will start.”Mr Chongu said Zambians had already made it clear that they wanted opposition parties to unite behind a single presidential candidate.“The Zambian people have made it clear. They want us to unite. They want us to go with one candidate. They do not want us to divide votes because we know we are competing against a party that has the advantage of state machinery,” he said.He said opposition unity should not only apply to the presidential election but also to parliamentary and local government elections.“If we go with one candidate, one councillor, one council chairperson, one mayor and one member of parliament in each area, it will be easier for the opposition to unseat this government,” he said.Mr Chongu said Citizens First had already demonstrated its commitment to avoiding vote splitting in areas where other opposition parties were stronger.“When you look at Citizens First, in areas where we feel another opposition party is stronger, we have not even bothered to field a candidate so that we do not divide the vote,” he said.He also accused some opposition leaders of listening more to advisers seeking to protect personal interests than to ordinary citizens.“Most of these opposition political party leaders have people advising them. Unfortunately, many are not looking at what the Zambian people want. They are looking at protecting their own positions and interests,” Mr Chongu said.Mr Chongu said Zambia currently had three major political forces: the ruling UPND, the Tonse Alliance and Citizens First.He said if opposition forces could agree on a common strategy, defeating the ruling party would become easier.“If Tonse and Citizens First were to sit down and agree to support one candidate while sharing certain positions and parliamentary seats, it would be easier to defeat this government,” he said.Mr Chongu also dismissed suggestions that the Patriotic Front (PF) was politically irrelevant, describing it as a movement whose support base remained active.“PF can never be dead. PF will never be dead because PF is a movement,” he said.He argued that PF supporters had simply dispersed into different political formations.Asked to predict the outcome of the August 13 elections, Mr Chongu said the current political environment suggested the presidential race could proceed to a second round.“At the rate we are moving, it is clear that the ruling party will use every available mechanism to retain power while the opposition continues to strengthen itself. However, because the opposition lacks the unity it needs, this election is unlikely to be decided in the first round,” he said.“It is likely to go to a second round.”Mr Chongu said Citizens First could emerge as the kingmaker in the event of a presidential rerun.“If UPND goes into a rerun with Tonse, then Citizens First will most likely determine who forms government,” he said.“Whichever way Citizens First goes, that side will form government.”Mr Chongu’s remarks are likely to intensify debate within opposition ranks over the need for a united front ahead of the August 13 general election.

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OPPOSITION STRONGER BUT DIVIDED, SAYS CHONGU …warns fragmentation could hand victory to UPND in August elections