Executive Summary
Zambia’s 2026 General Elections take place in the context of recent constitutional reforms, constituency delimitation, and a rapidly growing youth population. The country has achieved a voter registration rate of approximately 81.9% (with 8.79 million registered voters), which is relatively high; however, up to 2 million eligible voters remain unregistered, which highlights ever-present structural barriers, including limited access to registration services and the expansion of the voting-age population.
Women and youth make up the majority of the electorate but remain underrepresented as candidates. While the introduction of reduced nomination fees for women, youth, and persons with disabilities is a positive step, the overall cost of participation remains inaccessible to many. Constraints such as limited access to finances, political networks, and party support continue to restrict broader inclusion in electoral competition.
