EU reports on Zambia fake - UPND

...but claims the European Union Election Observer Mission has admitted and congratulated President Hichilema for winning the August 13 general elections while rubbishing its reports on lack of transparency, violence, arbitrary arrests and detentions

BY BARNABAS ZULU

THE information used by the European Union (EU) Election Observer Mission (EOM) and that of the Human Rights Watch (HRW) in their reports on Zambia's post-election developments is fictitious, untrue and does not represent the state of the country's democracy, the UPND has said.

Mr Simuuwe, the UPND media director is claiming that in fact, the EU Election Observation Mission's report on the August 13, 2026 general elections has admitted that President Hakainde Hichilema won the August general election and has since congratulated him.

Mr Simuuwe said the party was pleased that the EU and other election observer missions had recognised the outcome and legitimacy of the elections.

Speaking on Capital FM Radio, Mr Simuuwe, however, questioned the sources of information relied upon by the EU and Human Rights Watch in raising concerns about developments surrounding the elections and the conduct of law enforcement agencies.

"Where do they get this information from?" Zambia has credible institutions, including the Human Rights Commission, which should be engaged when assessing alleged human rights violations. Why are they not engaging our institutions? We have a Human Rights Commission in this country," Mr Simuuwe said.

He questioned the reliance on information from individuals he described as fugitives, including Emmanuel Mwamba and Sishuwa Sishuwa.

He said the reports had a research gap because, in his view, they relied on unverified accounts and suspicions, raising questions about the credibility of their findings.

Mr Simuuwe also accused the EU and Human Rights Watch of portraying police arrests as abductions, citing the apprehension of Emmanuel Jay Banda as an example.

Zambia is a sovereign state whose law enforcement agencies had the mandate to investigate and enforce the law.

While Zambia recognise the important role of international election observers, it is inappropriate to call for an independent inquiry outside established legal and law enforcement processes," he said.

He said Article 28 of the Constitution provided avenues for redress where an individual's fundamental rights had been violated, adding that such constitutional mechanisms should be allowed to operate.

Mr Simuuwe also said several countries, including EU member states, had congratulated President Hichilema following his election victory.

He said the congratulatory messages demonstrated that international partners had recognised the outcome of the August 13 elections.