Socialist Party General Secretary, Cosmas Musumali, has reaffirmed the party’s commitment to empowering women.
Dr Musumali says the party has deliberately placed women’s political participation at the centre of its reform agenda, with its manifesto fielding and targeting 50 percent females in parliamentary and local government elections.
He states that women remain the backbone of the party’s movement and that meaningful national transformation cannot be achieved without their full participation in leadership and decision-making.
Speaking in an interview with the media, Dr Musumali noted that women play a key role in expanding the party’s influence.
“We have adopted a woman, Ms Dolika Banda, as our presidential running mate for the August polls. We believe empowering women is the best thing to do and lifting them into positions of influence within the political space,” he said.
Dr Musumali explained that the party leadership has consistently advocated for political education aimed at empowering women beyond traditional affirmative action measures.
He disclosed that his party will push for legislative and policy reforms intended to dismantle long-standing barriers that have historically limited women’s participation in politics and continue to disadvantage women candidates.
Dr Musumali also observed that while Zambia has undertaken various reforms to improve women’s participation in politics, more work remains to ensure equal access to leadership opportunities.
He further noted that despite women forming the majority of the population in the country this numerical advantage has not translated into stronger political solidarity or representation.
Meanwhile, the opposition leader described the 2026 general elections as a critical test of Zambia’s commitment to gender equality especially among the political parties.
“As the elections approach, there is a need not only to increase women’s representation but also to transform the way political spaces treat women candidates,” he said.
He emphasised that achieving greater inclusion of women in governance remains essential to building a more representative and democratic society.
Dr Musumali is confident that his party will emerge victorious in this year’s general polls slated for August 13.
Yesterday, Socialist Party President, Fred M’membe and his running mate, Dolika Banda, successfully filed their nomination papers with the Electoral Commission of Zambia ahead of the August 2026 general elections.
