By Burnett Munthali
LUSAKA, Zambia — President Hakainde Hichilema has secured a second five-year term after winning Zambia’s presidential election with about 60 percent of the valid vote, defeating his main challenger Brian Mundubile in a closely watched contest that tested both his economic record and the strength of the country’s democratic institutions.
Official results announced by the Electoral Commission of Zambia gave Hichilema a decisive victory over Mundubile, who received about 38 percent of the vote. The remaining candidates shared a small fraction of the ballots cast.
The result comfortably carried Hichilema past the threshold required to win the presidency outright, eliminating the need for a second round and giving the United Party for National Development leader another five years at the helm of one of Southern Africa’s most politically influential countries.
Hichilema, 64, thanked Zambians for renewing their confidence in his leadership and called for unity after a campaign and counting process marked by political tensions, opposition complaints and security concerns.
The president said the election demonstrated Zambia’s commitment to resolving political differences through democratic institutions and the ballot box. He also reached out to voters who backed opposition candidates, pledging that his government would continue to serve all Zambians regardless of their political affiliation.
Celebrations erupted in parts of Lusaka following the announcement, with supporters of the governing UPND taking to the streets in party colours to celebrate a victory that gives Hichilema a fresh mandate to pursue his economic and development agenda.
The result comes five years after Hichilema swept to power in 2021, ending Edgar Lungu’s presidency and completing another peaceful transfer of power in a country widely regarded as one of Southern Africa’s important electoral democracies.
His second-term victory, however, followed a more turbulent electoral process. Mundubile questioned aspects of the tally and alleged discrepancies between figures recorded at polling stations and those announced during the official counting process. He also raised concerns about the presence and role of security forces at some tallying centres.
The election period was further complicated by arrests involving opposition figures and allegations of a plot to destabilise the state. Mundubile rejected accusations against his camp, while opposition figures accused the authorities of using state institutions to restrict their political activities.
Tensions intensified a day after voting when the Electoral Commission temporarily suspended counting following attacks on election officials and the theft of marked ballot papers. Counting resumed later after authorities said the security situation had been brought under control.
International observers described polling day as largely peaceful while raising concerns about the broader environment in which the election was conducted. Questions were raised over restrictions affecting opposition activity, access to the media and changes to the electoral framework ahead of the vote.
The European Union Election Observation Mission also highlighted concerns about constraints faced by opposition groups during the campaign and the implications these could have had for the competitiveness of the electoral process.
Mundubile had claimed victory before the completion of the official tally and subsequently questioned the credibility of aspects of the counting process. It remains to be seen whether his camp will formally challenge the presidential result through Zambia’s courts.
For Hichilema, the victory shifts attention from the campaign to the challenges awaiting his administration. His first term was dominated by efforts to steer Zambia out of its debt crisis, restore relations with international lenders, attract investment and revive growth in Africa’s second-largest copper producer.
His government made progress in restructuring Zambia’s external debt and restoring investor confidence, but many households continue to grapple with high living costs, unemployment and electricity shortages. Those pressures featured prominently during the campaign and helped Mundubile mount a stronger challenge than some early projections suggested.
Hichilema will now be under pressure to translate improvements in Zambia’s macroeconomic position into more visible gains for ordinary citizens while pursuing ambitious plans to expand copper production, attract investment and accelerate job creation.
Beyond the economic agenda, the president begins his second term facing calls to strengthen political freedoms and rebuild trust following a contentious campaign. How his administration responds to those concerns could prove as important to his second-term legacy as its performance on jobs, investment and economic growth.
Zambia has built a strong reputation for competitive elections and peaceful transfers of power since the restoration of multiparty democracy in 1991. Hichilema’s re-election extends that political journey, but the disputes surrounding the 2026 contest underline the continuing importance of credible institutions, political tolerance and public confidence in the electoral process.
With the election settled at the ballot box, the focus now turns to how Hichilema uses his renewed mandate and whether his second term can convert Zambia’s economic recovery into broader improvements in the lives of its citizens.
