Chapter One Foundation has expressed concern over findings in the 2026 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, which indicate a further deterioration in Zambia’s adherence to the rule of law.
Organisation Executive Director, Josiah Kalala, said the Index showed that authoritarian practices were no longer merely an emerging threat but were becoming entrenched.
In a press statement on Zambia’s declining rule of law performance, Kalala said the country had been identified among those that had experienced a sustained five-year decline in at least one of three fundamental safeguards against authoritarian rule.
He said the safeguards were constraints on government powers, open government and fundamental rights.
“Of particular concern, the Index finds that authoritarian practices are no longer merely an emerging threat but are becoming entrenched,” Kalala said.
He said the finding was particularly troubling alongside the documented deterioration in freedom of expression, assembly, association and civic participation, as well as the declining effectiveness of judicial constraints on government power.
“The Index ranks Zambia 121st globally and 25th out of 34 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa on fundamental rights,” Kalala said.
He said the findings were concerning because freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association and civic participation were essential mechanisms through which citizens scrutinised public authority and demanded accountability.
“Equally concerning is the finding that Zambia has seen a decline in the extent to which the judiciary effectively limits government powers,” Kalala said.
He noted that judicial independence and effective constitutional checks and balances were indispensable to preventing the arbitrary exercise of public power.
Kalala said the Index also ranked Zambia 111th globally on open government, 109th on the absence of corruption and 119th on regulatory enforcement.
He said the findings reinforced concerns about transparency, institutional accountability and the consistent application of the law, adding that the danger of authoritarian practices becoming entrenched lay in the progressive weakening of institutions.
Kalala called on Government, Parliament, the Judiciary and other relevant institutions to examine the Index’s findings and pursue measurable reforms.
“We call upon Government, Parliament, the Judiciary and other relevant institutions to undertake a substantive examination of the Index’s findings and pursue measurable reforms that strengthen institutional independence, protect fundamental freedoms and improve transparency and accountability,” he said.
He said the strength of a constitutional democracy was measured by how effectively it constrained the exercise of power, adding that the objective should be to build institutions strong enough to restrain the abuse of power, regardless of who exercised it.
WARNING! All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.
The post Group flays Zambia’s declining rule of law ranking first appeared on Zambia Monitor.