Unfinished Business: The Call for Zambia's Fourth Republic

Six decades after independence, two of Zambia's most decorated voices of democracy are saying what many have long felt but few have dared to name: the constitutional journey is not complete. On 25th February 2026, Dr. Mbita Chitala and Prince Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika — men who stood at the centre of Zambia's return to multiparty democracy in 1991 — addressed the nation at a press conference organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue in Lusaka. Their message was not a campaign speech. It was a diagnosis. From the collapse of local councils, to the centralisation of power in the executive, to the unresolved question of the Barotseland Agreement, to citizens being arrested under a law written in 1955 to silence Africans — they argue that Zambia has been managing symptoms while the root cause goes untreated. At the centre of their proposal is the call for a Fourth Republic — a comprehensive, people-driven constitutional reconstruction that goes beyond amending the existing order. A constitution that enshrines water, health, education and land as rights. Not as charity from Lusaka. As rights. As Zambia moves toward the elections of 13th August 2026, the question they place before the nation is this: will we change personalities within the same structure — and hope for different results? Or will we finally examine the structure itself? "Before we die, we need to resolve these matters so that we don't leave these problems to our children." — Dr. Mbita Chitala "A powerless people are like hungry people. They are not a happy people. They are not comfortable. Nobody is comfortable to be powerless." — Prince Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika 🎙️ Featuring: Dr. Mbita Chitala | Pro-democracy activist. Architect of Zambia's Third Republic, 1991 Prince Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika | Statesman. Constitutional scholar. Voice of the liberation movement 📅 Press conference hosted by the Centre for Policy Dialogue 📍 M'kango Golfview Hotel, Lusaka — 25th February 2026 Produced in support of the National Conference on Democracy and Development Lusaka — 6th & 7th March 2026 #Zambia #FourthRepublic #UnfinishedBusiness #Zambia2026 #Democracy #Constitution #MbitaChitala #Akashambatwa #ZambiaElections2026 #NationalConference