The Editor Zambia
As Zambia enters the final days before the August 13 General Election, every public event, symbol, and message is likely to be viewed through a political lens.
In such a highly charged atmosphere, the concerns raised by United Party for National Development (UPND) Secretary General Batuke Imenda over the proposed candlelight prayer programme scheduled for August 12 deserve careful consideration rather than outright dismissal. 
Imenda’s appeal is not an attack on prayer or the Church. Rather, it is a caution against staging an event that could unintentionally carry political symbolism on the eve of one of the country’s most important democratic exercises.
The issue lies in the fact that both candles and lamps are not neutral objects in the context of the 2026 elections. They are official electoral symbols assigned to candidates participating in the election.
The National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP), led by presidential candidate Brian Mundubile, uses the lamp as its official ballot symbol.
Some independent parliamentary candidates likewise campaigns under the candle symbol following a High Court ruling allowing them to retain it.
Political parties spend months encouraging voters to identify them through their ballot symbols, particularly in communities where visual identification plays an important role.
These symbols become central to campaign messaging, appearing on posters, billboards, campaign materials, and public rallies.
Consequently, any large public gathering centred around those same symbols immediately before polling day is capable of creating unintended political associations.
This is precisely the concern Imenda has articulated.
Even if organisers sincerely intend the event to be purely spiritual, perception matters in politics. Elections are judged not only on whether they are free and fair but also on whether they are perceived to be free and fair by all participants.
The timing is equally significant. The prayer programme is scheduled for August 12, only hours before voting begins nationwide.
During this sensitive period, Zambia traditionally expects political actors and public institutions to exercise maximum restraint to avoid actions that could influence voters or generate unnecessary controversy.
Symbols have always carried powerful meanings in politics. Around the world, colours, flowers, animals, clothing, and everyday objects become permanently associated with political parties.
Once that association exists, their public use during election periods inevitably attracts scrutiny.
Imenda has also raised legitimate concerns about public order. A candlelight gathering could easily attract supporters of parties whose campaign identities revolve around candles or lamps.
Such attendance, whether organised or spontaneous, could transform a religious gathering into what appears to be a political procession, creating tensions that nobody desires on the eve of voting.
Zambia has worked hard to promote peaceful elections despite isolated incidents of political violence witnessed during the campaign period.
Both political leaders and religious institutions, therefore, carry a shared responsibility to avoid situations that may unintentionally increase political suspicion or misunderstanding.
Importantly, Imenda has not argued against prayers for peace themselves. Prayer has always played an important role in Zambia’s national life, and churches continue to provide moral leadership during periods of national significance.
The question is whether a candlelight format, employing symbols that are officially linked to contestants on the ballot, is the most appropriate expression of that prayer at this particular moment.
Alternative forms of national prayer that avoid potentially partisan imagery could achieve exactly the same spiritual objectives while eliminating unnecessary political controversy.
Such an approach would help preserve both the integrity of the prayer event and public confidence in the neutrality of religious institutions during the electoral process.
Ultimately, democratic elections depend upon public trust. That trust is strengthened when organisers of public events recognise how easily symbolism can be interpreted during an election campaign.
