Polls opened in Zambia on Thursday at 6am local time (04:00 GMT) for a presidential election in which incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema is seeking a second five-year term against 13 other candidates, with 8.7 million people registered to vote and polls set to close 12 hours after opening.
Zambia presidential election opens with 8.7 million registered voters
Polls opened in Zambia on Thursday at 6am local time (04:00 GMT) for a presidential election in which incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema is seeking a second five-year term against 13 other candidates, with 8.7 million people registered to vote and polls set to close 12 hours after opening.
The election is dominated by economic concerns. More than 70 percent of Zambia's 22 million people live on less than $3 a day, according to World Bank data. Inflation fell to 6.8 percent in April and the kwacha currency has strengthened, but many residents still face high food and energy costs, and the unemployment rate stands at about 10 percent.
Hichilema, 64, won the 2021 election on his sixth attempt. His bid for a second term centres on job creation and an infrastructure programme. Zambia has also come under scrutiny over concerns that his government has narrowed space for political dissent even as it has promised stronger economic recovery.
His main challenger is Brian Mundubile, 55, a former minister in the Patriotic Front government that ruled from 2011 to 2021. Running under the newly formed NRPUP party and backed by an alliance of opposition parties, Mundubile entered the race in May. Voting has traditionally followed regional lines, with Hichilema's party strongest in the south and west and the Patriotic Front retaining support in the north and Copperbelt.
Zambians are also electing candidates for 226 parliament seats on Thursday, up from the previous 156. Results of the presidential vote are expected by August 17, and the winner must secure more than 50 percent of votes to avoid a run-off.
- The source does not include any statement or response from President Hichilema or his campaign regarding Mundubile's allegations of campaign restrictions or claims that the election is not free and fair.
- The source does not state which body or authority is responsible for administering the election or overseeing its fairness.
- The source does not provide polling data or survey evidence on the relative standing of the candidates before voting opened.
- The source does not specify what infrastructure projects or job-creation measures Hichilema's government has undertaken or announced.
- The source does not identify the other 12 presidential candidates beyond Hichilema and Mundubile.
- The source text supplied appears truncated; some material may be missing.
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