Zambia vote to test Hichilema’s economic record

Zambians vote Thursday in a closely watched presidential election that will test whether recent economic gains can offset frustration over the high cost of living in one of Africa’s most stable democracies.

Incumbent Hakainde Hichilema faces Brian Mundubile, a former ally of late president Edgar Lungu, who surged to the front of a fragmented opposition after being backed by a coalition of rival parties.

Up to 8.7 million voters — a majority of them women — will decide whether Hichilema’s economic reforms deserve another term or whether the opposition can turn widespread discontent into a comeback.

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, winning praise from 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.