By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Zambians will on Thursday go to the polls to vote in a presidential election that will test whether recent economic gains achieved by the Hakainde Hichilema’s administration can offset frustration over the high cost of living in one of Africa’s most stable democracies.
Hichilema, widely predicted to win a fresh term in office faces Brian Mundubile, a former ally of late President Edgar Lungu, who has gained prominence in the fragmented opposition, after being backed by a coalition of rival parties.
Unless the opposition rallies behind Mundubile, re-election looks certain for the 64-year-old Hichilema, widely known as “HH”.
Up to 8.7 million voters, a majority of them women, will have the final decision on whether Hichilema’s economic reforms deserve another term or whether it will provide a comeback opportunity for the opposition.
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, attracting confidence of 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.
Zambia is Africa’s second-largest copper producer and the government has set an ambitious target of tripling production by 2031.
Chinese companies are major players in the mining sector, underscoring Beijing’s outsized economic influence in the country.
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.
