Delimitation to Increase Constituencies by 70 from 156 to 226 – ECZ

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has announced the launch of the 2026 Delimitation Exercise, alongside an update on the roadmap towards the 2026 General Elections, marking its first formal engagement with stakeholders this year. The Commission says district-level sittings will be held from 16th to 20th February 2026, during which stakeholders and members of the public in all 116 districts will be invited to make oral and written submissions on proposed constituency boundaries and names. ECZ Chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis says the Commission will then conduct a provincial collection of submissions across all ten provinces from 23rd February to 16th March 2026, before final proposals are unveiled. Ms. Zaloumis has reaffirmed that the delimitation process is constitutional, non-political and non-arbitrary, guided by Article 59 of the Constitution, with all constituencies remaining within district boundaries while ensuring fair representation of urban and densely populated areas. She adds that the final names and boundaries of constituencies will be published in the Government Gazette by 15th April 2026. The exercise operationalises the constitutional increase in constituency-based seats from 156 to 226, adding 70 new constituencies, ahead of the dissolution of Parliament on 15th May 2026.