Socialist Party president Dr Fred M’membe has rejected public calls by Tonse Alliance presidential candidate Brian Mundubile for opposition political parties to unite ahead of the August 13 general election, saying serious alliance-building cannot be conducted through public declarations.
Dr M’membe said coalition discussions required structured engagement, trust and mutual respect rather than media announcements that placed political parties under unnecessary public pressure.
He disclosed that he had privately engaged several opposition leaders and insisted that genuine cooperation depended on common direction and meaningful dialogue.
“Calling us publicly is disrespectful,” Dr M’membe said in response to the invitation.
The remarks immediately exposed continuing divisions within opposition politics despite mounting pressure for coalition building ahead of the elections.
Different opposition parties have recently intensified calls for cooperation in an effort to avoid splitting votes against the ruling UPND, but disagreements around leadership, strategy and political direction continue surfacing publicly.
The latest exchange has now become one of the clearest signs yet that opposition consolidation remains deeply uncertain.
Political observers say the inability by opposition parties to build a united front could significantly strengthen the ruling party’s electoral position even in areas where public dissatisfaction exists.
Dr M’membe maintained that his party remained open to engagement but stressed that cooperation could not be forced through public pronouncements.
The Socialist Party leader has consistently argued that political alliances should be built around ideology, governance direction and structured agreements rather than temporary electoral arrangements.
The disagreement also comes at a time when concerns around opposition fragmentation are increasingly dominating political conversations across the country.
People’s Pact vice president Robert Sichinga recently warned that many Zambians dissatisfied with the UPND still remain unconvinced about who should replace President Hakainde Hichilema.
Political commentator Mulenga Kapwepwe also cautioned that opposition divisions risk creating a chaotic election environment if parties fail to coordinate effectively before nominations.
Meanwhile, Economic Front leader Wynter Kabimba has urged political parties not to drag institutions such as the Electoral Commission of Zambia into internal factional disputes.
Mr Kabimba said political parties should resolve leadership disagreements through courts and internal constitutional mechanisms instead of expecting electoral institutions to determine legitimacy battles.
The growing disputes are unfolding alongside increased pressure around campaign mobilisation, nomination fees and election preparedness.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia recently revised nomination fees upward for presidential, parliamentary and local government candidates ahead of the elections.
Governance activist Rueben Lifuka has also called for equal campaign conditions for all political players, warning that election legitimacy depends not only on voting day processes but also on fairness during the campaign period.
For now, opposition parties remain united mainly by criticism of Government rather than by a common political programme or agreed leadership structure.
The latest disagreement between Dr M’membe and Mr Mundubile suggests that opposition coalition negotiations remain fragile at a time when election momentum is rapidly accelerating.
Editors Note: “The deeper challenge facing opposition parties may no longer be whether they agree that cooperation is necessary. It is whether they can agree on who leads, who sacrifices political space and what kind of alliance they actually want to build.” Whats your Take?
What a nonsensical question madam editor.
The question could have been phrased better. It’s too long and winding and therefore haphazard.
My take is that since they dont want to unite, we might as well continue with the current failure in HH
Awe but HH yamutaya, us thinking mealie meal will be….Bumper harvest no meaning
And how do you define “failure” Vicente? Introspection is important when you’re measuring with faulty scales or a damaged measuring tape.Sometimes even your own eyesight is the real problem.
Look at this bunch – they can’t agree on who to lead them, they have tiny constituencies in terms of who they lead, they can’t provide any policy statements on what their parties stand for, or say how they intend to move the country forward – but they want to be elected as national President? What do opposition parties take Zambians for….
Wabauza Ngozi. The only problem is we have noone to run our opposition. Yes even our government. We have terrible politicians in Zambia. It’s now that we are realizing Frederick Chiluba, Arthur Wina, Michael Sata were at another level.
Forget their other leadership flaws, these guys knew how (or had the charisma) to organize people whether for a right or wrong cause. Now that they aren’t around just look at how headless the opposition is.
This underperforming UPND government would have been very easy to remove with an organized opposition. But these power hungry know it alls are showing you they can’t run a government. A government is never a one man show.
Wabauza Ngozi. The only problem is we have noone to run our opposition. Yes even to run our government. We have terrible politicians in Zambia. It’s now that we are realizing Frederick Chiluba, Arthur Wina, Michael Sata were at another level.
Forget their other leadership flaws, these guys knew how (or had the charisma) to organize people whether for a right or wrong cause. Now that they aren’t around just look at how headless the opposition is.
Opposition unity is a mirage .The only weapon they have is ego driven personalities ,big ego and “it is my turn to eat” mentalities.
Manifestos ,ideas , track records and vision …all these are missing .
The question then becomes how will all these characters fund themselves and their parties hanging around up to 2031?
Kikikikikikiki They will break into more pieces. Yes they will keep splitting. Perhaps Zambia will be waiting for another generation of leaders outside of the current ones
I support Mundubile for the Presidency but I support Fred Mmembe on this one. This issue of playing to the gallery when calling for unity is very bad. Sadly, my candidate Mundubile thinks opposition unity is only when other aspirants in the opposition flock to him. Same whatsapp group with Kalaba
Also this behaviour is like for the non existent Economic Front President, Winter, who can public defame late ECL with vulgar words calling him a drunkard but at the same time him condemning social media vibes people throw at each other. Anyway since they are only two in the party, Chikwelete will vote for him. But anyway the man cant even stand. Completely no political stamina, just a commentator now like Liwewe
@ushilav are you claiming ECL was not a drunkard? He was OK if he stayed with Castle, koma Jameson mamamama…