Zambians are voting in a closely watched presidential election in which economic hardship is challenging President Hakainde Hichilema’s bid for a second term in the copper-rich southern African nation.
Polling stations opened at 06:00 local time on Thursday and were scheduled to close 12 hours later. A total of 8.7 million voters are registered to cast ballots in the presidential, parliamentary and other elections.
“Zambians are frustrated and this election is a 50-50, that is why we are all here early to make the change,” said 26-year-old voter Mwiche Nalupumbwe, one of hundreds who queued before dawn in the morning cold.
“It hasn’t been the easiest five years,” the development sector worker told AFP at Kabulonga, about eight kilometres (five miles) east of the capital, Lusaka.
Hichilema, 64, won his first five-year term in 2021 on his sixth attempt to become president. He is campaigning on job creation and an ambitious programme of infrastructure development as he seeks to retain power.
His government points to signs of economic progress. Inflation fell to 6.8% in April, while Zambia’s kwacha currency has strengthened. However, many households continue to struggle with the cost of food and energy.
Zambia is widely considered one of Africa’s more stable democracies, but concerns have grown over whether the government has reduced the space for dissent. Those criticisms have emerged alongside its promise to deliver a stronger economic recovery.
The main challenge to Hichilema comes from Brian Mundubile, a 55-year-old former minister in the Patriotic Front (PF) administration that governed Zambia from 2011 to 2021.
Mundubile is standing for the newly formed NRPUP, with the backing of an alliance of opposition parties. The party draws much of its support from the PF.
He entered the race in May, bringing fresh uncertainty to an election that had previously appeared likely to favour Hichilema.
Mundubile has described Zambia as deeply divided. Speaking to AFP on Wednesday, he alleged that the government had imposed tighter restrictions on his party’s campaign and said the period leading up to the election could not be regarded as free and fair.
Akapelwa Akapelwa, a 62-year-old businessman who voted among the first, offered a more positive assessment of the president’s economic record.
“It’s like a burden has been lifted off my shoulder after voting,” he said.
“Right now the economy has been stabilised … The platform has been set and it’s a strong foundation,” he told AFP.
Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer, defaulted on its sovereign debt in 2020. Since then, the government has secured a restructuring agreement for the debt and completed a programme supported by the International Monetary Fund.
It has also set a target of tripling copper production by 2031. Copper is a key component in the global transition to green energy.
Despite those developments, more than 70% of Zambia’s population of 22 million people live on less than three dollars a day, according to World Bank figures.
“It’s only those who are connected to politicians that are saying the economy is doing well,” said 32-year-old bus driver Ceshas Tembo.
“For many of us, it is still hand-to-mouth and even then it’s never enough.”
Security was tightened ahead of the vote after the government announced on Wednesday that several people had been arrested over an alleged plan to interfere with the electoral system. Those detained included three former senior government officials.
Voting patterns in Zambia have traditionally reflected regional loyalties. Hichilema’s party is strongest in the south and west, while the PF retains pockets of support in the north and the Copperbelt.
Patience Mususa, a senior researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute, said voters were likely to favour the stability associated with the incumbent.
“Despite criticism of his slow progress in addressing government inefficiencies and corruption, and concerns about his prioritisation of corporate interests, he is seen as a more predictable leader,” she said.
Results from the presidential election are expected by 17 August. A candidate must secure more than 50% of the vote to win outright and avoid a second round.
Voters are also choosing members of parliament, with 226 seats being contested compared with 156 at the previous election.
