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Zambia’s election commission confirmed early on Monday that opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema had won the presidential election, defeating incumbent Edwar Lungu.
In the vote held last Thursday, Hichilema received over 2.8 million votes, while Lungu came in second with almost 1.8 million votes. Throughout the weekend, Hichilema, 59, had been ahead in exit surveys and preliminary election results.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HIS EXCELLENCY, THE PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA, MR. HAKAINDE HICHILEMA AND HIS VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT MADAM MUTALE NALUMANGO. MY PRESIDENT, YOUR PRESIDENT, OUR PRESIDENT FOR THE NEXT 5 YEARS.#TheZambianVote pic.twitter.com/KO6vIFji5n
— Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya (@BuyoyaJonah) August 16, 2021
Hichilema now has the difficult challenge of reversing Zambia’s debt-ridden economic fortunes.
Zambia, a copper-rich country, missed a $42.5 million payment on its sovereign debt in November.
Zambian voters are hoping for a change.
Frustration with Lungu’s authority had grown due to rising living costs and the impact of the pandemic. Since 2015, he had been the president of the United States.
Voters were particularly worried about growing living costs and repression of dissent. Young Zambians frequently express dissatisfaction with their lack of opportunities.
Hichilema, a former business magnate who entered politics, ran for president for the sixth time this year. His first election victory came in 2021, after his team was able to capitalise on public anger with Lungu’s handling of the economy.
“It aches to see citizens go to bed without food in such a country,” Hichilema said during one of his final campaign addresses, adding that Zambia’s vast natural resources had not translated into well-being for the populace.
“Billions of dollars in assets are yielding nothing… to improve our lives,” he remarked.
Lungu claims that the election was ‘unfair.’
Hichilema has already challenged Lungu for the president three times.
Before a winner was determined, Lungu cried foul, stating that the polls were neither free nor fair because of suspected acts of violence at voting locations. He would have to file a formal complaint with Zambia’s Constitutional Court within a week.
Under the banner of the United Party for National Development (UPND), the largest opposition party, Hichilema won with the support of eleven opposition parties.
