Zambia vote to test Hichilema’s economic record

Incumbent Hakainde Hichilema faces Brian Mundubile, a former ally of late president Edgar Lungu, who surged to the front of a fragmented opposition after being backed by a coalition of rival parties. Up to 8.7 million voters — a majority of them women — will decide whether Hichilema’s economic reforms deserve another term or whether the opposition can turn widespread discontent into a comeback. Hichilema, leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND), won the presidency in 2021 on his sixth attempt, inheriting a country in sovereign default after years of heavy borrowing under Lungu.

His victory marked a rare peaceful transfer of power to an opposition party through the ballot box in Africa. The government has since secured a landmark debt restructuring agreement, restored an International Monetary Fund programme and returned the economy to growth, winning praise from international lenders and investors. But many Zambians say the benefits have been slow to reach ordinary citizens.

Rising food prices, unemployment and persistent poverty remain dominant concerns in a country where more than 70 percent of the population lives on less than three dollars a day, according to World Bank data. “Worldwide there has been recognition that we are doing well but he needs to bring it home,” medical student Semi Malama, 26, told AFP. Zambia is Africa’s second-largest copper producer and the government has set an ambitious target of tripling production by 2031.

[paywall]

Chinese companies are major players in the mining sector, underscoring Beijing’s outsized economic influence in the country. The opposition has sought to exploit the squeeze on household finances, arguing that reforms have failed to improve livelihoods despite signs of recovery. Until the opposition coalesced behind Mundubile, re-election had looked all but certain for the 64-year-old Hichilema, widely known as “HH”. Although 14 candidates are on the ballot, analysts say the race has narrowed into a two-horse contest between Hichilema and Mundubile, a 55-year-old former minister.

[/paywall]