Opposition Leader Says New PF Chief Will Head Alliance

The opposition party has outlined how its leadership succession will affect the country's political landscape ahead of the 2026 elections.

Raphael Nakacinda, Secretary General of the Patriotic Front (PF), says whoever becomes the party's new president will automatically lead the Tonse Alliance, a coalition of opposition parties formed to challenge the ruling UPND government.

Speaking on Diamond TV's Costa Show, Mr Nakacinda explained that the new PF leader would assume the role previously held by former president Edgar Lungu, who led the alliance until recently.

"At the time that we are having elections within PF and the leader emerges, that leader automatically becomes the chairman and also automatically becomes the flag bearer," he said.

Mr Nakacinda defended PF's leadership of the alliance, citing the party's size and parliamentary representation. "PF is the main and bigger political party in opposition," he argued, pointing to the party's structural presence across the country and its mayors, council chairpersons and councillors.

The alliance, which includes 14 member parties, was established with PF as the "anchor political party" based on what Mr Nakacinda described as a technical assessment of each party's contribution.

However, the alliance faces internal challenges. Mr Nakacinda revealed that concerns had been raised about the integrity of the process to draft what was initially planned as a Memorandum of Understanding but has evolved into a potential constitution for the coalition.

"We discovered a few things which we are dealing with at this particular stage, in terms of the integrity of the process," he admitted.