Hichilema visits Mandevu, election cancelled
President Hichilema will meet Mandevu residents today as all opposition candidates withdraw from the by-election.
President Hakainde Hichilema is expected in Lusaka’s Mandevu Constituency today to interact with residents and discuss community issues. State House announced the President invited residents to Mutambe Community grounds to raise questions on important matters. The announcement received over 13,000 social media comments within three hours, with many users welcoming the visit and calling for increased development.
The Mandevu parliamentary by-election, scheduled for today, will not proceed after all three opposition candidates withdrew. The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) stated that UPND candidate Adrian Banda is now the sole nominated candidate. Ntazana Musukuma Mutungwa, Daniel Chisenga, and independent Daniel Daka were the candidates who withdrew.
ECZ chief electoral officer Brown Kasaro said Mr Banda will be declared duly elected without a poll, although the commission is yet to formally announce his election. This leaves Mr Banda as the only validly nominated candidate for the Mandevu seat.
Why it mattersPresident Hichilema is directly engaging with Mandevu residents, while the local parliamentary election has been cancelled due to candidate withdrawals.