Yes, the Kabwata parliamentary by-election has been cancelled following resignation of UPP candidate

Rating Justification

The Fact Checking has determined as true the claim, that Mr. Francis M. Libanda, a parliamentary candidate for United Progressive Party (UPP) in the forth coming Kabwata by election, has withdrawn from the race. However, iVerify Zambia reached out to the Electoral Commission of Zambia in an effort to find out if there are any implications as a result of the withdrawal both on the candidate and the by election. Through a press statement held on the 10th January 2022, the Electoral Commission of Zambia confirmed the receipt of the withdrawal and resignation letters on the 7th and 10th January 2022 respectively. The Commission clarified that an election withdrawal before the Nominations does not any influence the election, while a resignation of a candidate after the Nomination process invokes the provisions of article 52(6), therefore requires the cancellation of election and calls for a fresh nomination for eligible candidates by the ECZ. Further the Electoral Commission of Zambia has cancelled the 20th January 2022, Kabwata Constituency Parliamentary by-election as a result of the letter dated 10th January 2022, submitted by Mr. Libanda which invokes the provisions of the Constitution of Zambia.

This development is similar to a fact checking report that the iVerify fact checking team worked on in August 2021, that involved withdrawal of a parliamentary candidate from the elections for Mandevu Constituency. Following these developments, the Commission has expressed concern of the repeated withdrawals by candidates during election period, and expressed hope that the situation would not repeat itself in future elections, especially the 2026 General Elections.