𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐙𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐁𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐳𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐧
By Dr Mwelwa
Tanzania teaches Africa that power can silence opponents by simply removing them from the ballot. When dominant parties fear competition, they do not defeat rivals at polling stations they eliminate them long before voting begins. Zambia must recognise this pattern early.
Senegal, however, showed a different script. When the state jailed Ousmane Sonko to weaken the opposition, his supporters united behind Bassirou Diomaye Faye, turning a prison cell into a political launchpad. Even behind bars, leadership found a way to communicate loyalty and strategic unity.
That victory shook the foundations of authoritarian politics in West Africa. It proved that a determined electorate can defeat sophisticated state machinery. Senegal’s youth refused manipulation, refused fear, and refused division. They voted for freedom, not intimidation.
Tanzania demonstrated how governments block competition by legal tricks, disqualifications, and strategic arrests. Senegal demonstrated how citizens can still reclaim democracy when they refuse to surrender their collective voice. Two nations, two lessons, one warning for Zambia.
There are deep rumors that some of Zambia’s strongest candidates may be blocked or entangled in criminal charges before 2026. This resembles the Tanzanian method: remove the popular, distract the voters, and declare victory without competition.
But Zambia is not Tanzania. Our citizens, churches, civil society, and digital spaces are too awake to allow quiet elimination of candidates. Every attempt at electoral manipulation risks creating a Senegal-style backlash that the ruling elite cannot contain.
If any leading figures are barred, jailed, or politically silenced, unity becomes the weapon. Senegal won because the opposition refused fragmentation. A single candidate, backed by all, becomes unstoppable even in the face of state power.
Zambia must learn that you cannot imprison an idea whose time has come. You can lock up the leader, but you cannot lock up public hunger for change. That is the lesson Senegal sent across Africa like a political earthquake.
Elections in Malawi showed humility: a peaceful transition, and a president who respected the will of the people. Tanzania showed the danger of shrinking democratic space. Cameroon showed the tragedy of leaders who fear competition entirely.
𝒁𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒂 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒊’𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒍’𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒛𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒂’𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝑪𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒏’𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. Our voters must understand that power only becomes abusive when citizens become silent. Silence is the oxygen of manipulation.
No matter what mingalato is applied selective arrests, delayed court processes, disqualifications, intimidation, or propaganda Zambia’s democracy remains stronger than these tactics.
The Zambian voter is wiser, hungrier, and more alert than before.The ruling party must realise that political engineering cannot defeat national awakening. When people decide to reclaim their future, even the strongest machinery collapses. This is the warning Senegal delivered to every government that toys with electoral justice.
Zambians must stay vigilant, united, and strategic. When the moment of choice arrives, do not look to politicians for courage look to the Senegalese, who turned oppression into victory. Zambia is next, if its people remain unafraid.
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Yes would be nice to see new ideas.. What you don’t understand is that we don’t have credible opposition. The biggest opposition party is PF but alas they are NOT organised.. infighting and jostling for plot 1 is in everyone’s mind, undermining the previous suggestion of fielding a single candidate.
No one supports this idea. SP and others want plot 1 … Time is running out 2026 is just a month ahead.
There is no oppression in Zambia by the current leadership. Those found guilty and their unreasonable friends and relatives are the one who express personnel hate and cry loudly and want to desive the people in and outside Zambia that there is oppression of people yet this not true. PF did oppress and caused bloodshed of innocent people until they lost power to HH and UPND.
We the people of Zambia and the world still love and want the fair, peaceful, transparent and ethically right leadership of HH for unity, development and peace.
Personal indignation for HH will not make shake massive support for HH by well meaningful and decent Zambians and their associates. You remain as lossers and small number as HH procceeds to victorious 2026 elections with more than 70 wining results.
What about Guinea-Bissau?