Zambia’s President Hichilema wins re-election with big economic promises

Submission statement: Zambia's liberal President Hakainde Hichilema, who oversaw a rapid repair of the country's finances after decades of mismanagement, has secured re-election in a landslide (60%) amid high political tensions that saw his main rival go into hiding following the publication of the results.

Born into poverty, Hakainde Hichilema – nicknamed "HH" – became one of Zambia's richest men through financial consulting and cattle ranching, and positioned himself as the main opponent of the ruling left-wing Patriotic Front in the 2010s, doing a short stint in prison during Edgar Lungu's presidency, whom he defeated in 2021 in a hotly contested election.

During his presidency, HH, who had inherited a dire financial situation with Zambia defaulting on its debt the year before he took office, undertook deep reforms and secured debt restructuration deals, loans and investments into Zambia's backbone industry, copper, but also into hydroelectricity and cash crops.

Hichilema's landmark reform was making secondary education free for all, bringing more than 2 million children back in schools from their former informal activities, although the lack of planning led to overcrowded classrooms and a short-term deterioration of learning conditions.

While Zambia's economy recovered from decades of economic lull, voters expressed concerns about rising cost of life and the impact of the global food crisis, particularly severe in Zambia due to a historically harsh drought that led Hichilema to declare a state of emergency in 2024.

Since the fall of Kenneth Kaunda's dictatorship in 1991, Zambia has enjoyed a rocky although resilient multi-party democratic system with regular peaceful transitions of power, but Zambian critics and international observers have raised warnings about Hichilema's concentration of powers around the presidency, and the increased use of 'lawfare' against journalists and opponents. The vote counting was briefly suspended last week due to alleged threats against poll workers and civil servants, and dozens have been arrested on charges of fostering unrest and detention of weapons.

International observers described the election as free and largely peaceful, but noted "tensions" in many polling stations. Hichilema's main rival, Brian Mundubile, who gathered 38% of the vote, has accused the president of replicating the same authoritarian practices he was himself targeted with during Edgar Lungu's presidency, and has since gone into hiding due to alleged threats against his life, alongside his running mate.