Zambians are choosing between an incumbent promising economic continuity and an opposition leader campaigning on late former President Lungu’s legacy
Zambians are voting in presidential, parliamentary, and local elections on Thursday, with incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema seeking a second five-year term as a bitter dispute over the burial of his predecessor and longtime rival, Edgar Lungu, continues to overshadow the campaign.
Although 14 presidential candidates are in the race, the contest is widely seen as primarily pitting Hichilema against opposition figure Brian Mundubile, a former senior member of the government of late President Lungu.
Nearly 8.8 million people are registered to vote, according to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ). Under the Constitution, a presidential candidate must receive more than 50% of valid ballots to win outright; otherwise, the two leading candidates proceed to a runoff.
Speaking after casting his ballot in central Lusaka, Kantumoya Derrick Mpaka, a Zambian national who studied at the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), told RT that voting there had been peaceful and orderly.
“People are very civil. Everyone is calm. There is no chaos whatsoever,” he said. Mpaka described the election as highly unpredictable but said he expected Hichilema to prevail by a narrow margin, stressing that this was his “personal assessment” rather than an “endorsement of the incumbent.”
Who is Hichilema?
Hichilema, 64, is a businessman and leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND). He won the presidency on his sixth attempt in 2021, defeating Lungu by nearly one million votes.
His first term has focused on repairing an economy damaged by Zambia’s 2020 sovereign default. The International Monetary Fund says agreements cover approximately 94% of the external debt targeted for restructuring and that Zambia has made substantial progress toward macroeconomic stability.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry said investment in critical sectors has increased gross domestic product (GDP) from $19 billion to $40 billion since 2021, generated 7.8% growth, and produced a positive trade balance. The Zambia Statistics Agency, however, put annual growth at 3.8% in 2025, followed by a 7.7% year-on-year expansion in the first quarter of 2026.
Mpaka told RT that the figures do not reflect many voters’ circumstances. “On paper, our economy is doing okay, but in reality people are suffering, especially in rural Zambia, where people are living in poor conditions,” he said, citing a wide gap between rich and poor. High food costs, unemployment, and electricity shortages remain major concerns.
Hichilema has also introduced free primary and secondary education, recruited tens of thousands of teachers, and attracted billions of dollars in mining investment. A February 2026 World Bank Group report ranks Zambia as Africa’s second-largest and the world’s ninth-largest copper producer. Rising demand for minerals used in electric vehicles and clean-energy technology has intensified international interest.
In May, Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe accused Washington of linking a proposed five-year health package worth up to $2 billion to a critical-minerals agreement favoring US companies.
What’s Hichilema’s foreign policy about?
In foreign policy, Hichilema has strengthened relations with the US and Europe while maintaining extensive economic ties with China. Beijing remains a major creditor and investor in Zambia’s mines and infrastructure, including a planned $1.4 billion renovation of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway.
Relations with Moscow have also continued. In a December interview with RT, Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe described Russia as an “all-weather” friend and characterized bilateral ties as a “strategic partnership,” highlighting cooperation in education, energy, and trade.
Andrey Maslov, head of the Center for African Studies at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, told RT on Thursday that regardless of the election results, any leader of Zambia will follow a multilateral policy.
“Larger than any country in Europe, Zambia anchors two rival transport, logistics, and resource strategies: The US seeks to draw Zambia’s resources toward the Atlantic Ocean via Angola, while China finds it more advantageous to develop the Tanzania-Zambia corridor,” he said. “The country itself is attempting to balance these interests and benefit from these contradictions.”
Maslov noted that Washington might view Hichilema as capable of containing China’s expansion and preventing Zambia from aligning with alternative centers of power. However, the expert predicted that any Zambian leader would pursue a multilateral foreign policy while remaining mindful of public opinion, including opposition voters.
Who is Hichilema’s main challenger, Brian Mundubile?
Hichilema’s main rival Mundubile, 55, is an accountant, lawyer, and former lawmaker. Under Lungu, he served as Northern Province minister and government chief whip. He later became leader of the opposition in parliament.
He is running for the presidency under the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity banner while leading the Tonse Alliance. The coalition was originally formed around Lungu and brought together several parties seeking to remove the UPND from power.
Mundubile’s most notable political achievement has been reaching an agreement with part of the divided Patriotic Front movement. Makebi Zulu, an ally and former lawyer of Lungu, is his running mate. However, several other opposition figures, including Socialist Party leader Fred M’membe, are running separately, meaning the anti-government vote remains fragmented.
Mundubile has criticized Hichilema’s economic and human rights record and promised Zambians a larger share of the country’s copper wealth. His political background suggests greater continuity with the China-friendly policies of the Lungu era, during which Beijing financed major infrastructure projects.
Why does Lungu’s burial matter?
Former President Edgar Lungu died while receiving medical treatment in South Africa in June 2025, but his remains have not been buried following a dispute between his family and the Zambian authorities.
The government sought to repatriate him for a state funeral at which Hichilema would preside. Lungu’s family opposed the plan, saying the former president did not want his longtime rival involved in his funeral.
In June, South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the government had not established a legal right to override the family’s wishes. Lusaka subsequently said it would not appeal.
The dispute has nevertheless entered the election campaign. Mundubile and his running mate, Makebi Zulu, who previously acted as the Lungu family’s spokesperson, have promised to give the former president a dignified burial if elected.
