Polls opened across Zambia on Thursday for the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections, where incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema is seeking a second five-year term. The election is being held as voters consider the effects of recent economic reforms alongside persistent concerns over the high cost of living.
Approximately 8.7 million Zambians are registered to vote, with polling stations opening at 6 a.m. local time and scheduled to close 12 hours later. In addition to the presidency, voters are also electing 226 members of parliament, an increase from the previous 156 seats. The electoral commission is expected to announce the final presidential results by August 17.
Economic issues have been a central focus of the campaigns. According to World Bank data, more than 70 percent of Zambia’s 22 million people live on less than $3 a day. The Hichilema administration has overseen economic changes that coincided with a drop in the inflation rate to 6.8 percent in April and a strengthening of the national currency, the kwacha. However, many citizens continue to face high food and fuel prices, and the national unemployment rate is approximately 10 percent.
President Hichilema, 64, who won the 2021 election, has centered his campaign on job creation and an infrastructure development program.
His main challenger in a field of 14 candidates is Brian Mundubile, 55, a former minister who served in the Patriotic Front (PF) government. Mundubile is the presidential candidate for the newly formed NRPUP party, which is backed by an alliance of opposition parties.
Speaking to the AFP news agency on Wednesday, Mundubile stated that the government had placed restrictions on his party’s campaign. He said that if elected, his administration would initiate a “national reset” and promote reconciliation in what he described as a divided nation.
To win the presidency outright, a candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the valid votes cast. If no candidate reaches this threshold, a run-off election between the top two candidates will be held.
