By Ajong Mbapndah L
Four senior United States senators have raised concerns over Zambia’s electoral environment and called for peaceful, free and fair elections as millions of Zambians prepare to vote on Thursday, August 13.
U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Cory Booker, Jeff Merkley and Chris Van Hollen issued a joint statement Wednesday urging political parties, candidates and authorities to uphold democratic principles and ensure that electoral laws are applied fairly and consistently.
The intervention comes on the eve of a closely watched election in which President Hakainde Hichilema is seeking a second term. The vote is being followed closely across Africa and internationally, with Zambia’s democratic credentials, economic record and political climate under scrutiny.
“The United States values its long-standing partnership with Zambia,” the senators said, pointing to more than two decades of cooperation in areas including peacekeeping, democracy and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR.
However, the lawmakers expressed concern about what they described as attempts by Zambia’s ruling United Party for National Development, UPND, to undermine the electoral environment.
They accused the ruling party of selectively applying laws governing political gatherings to restrict opposition rallies and questioned constitutional and electoral reforms which they said were pushed through without adequate consultation with civil society.
The senators drew a particularly striking parallel between the current political environment and the difficulties Hichilema himself encountered during his years as an opposition leader.
“President Hakainde Hichilema and the United Party for National Development (UPND) appear to be using the same laws that once victimized and imprisoned political figures like Hichilema to propel him to a second term,” the senators said.
Hichilema spent months in detention in 2017 after being charged with treason during the presidency of Edgar Lungu. Prosecutors subsequently dropped the case and he was released. He went on to defeat Lungu by a landslide in the August 2021 presidential election, ending the Patriotic Front’s decade in power.
The senators’ statement therefore places particular emphasis on what they see as the danger of political restrictions once used against Hichilema being replicated under his own administration.
They called on all political actors to avoid violence and respect the integrity of the electoral process.
“We urge all parties and candidates to commit to peaceful elections and to ensure laws are enforced consistently and fairly, regardless of party affiliation,” they said.
The senators also called on the U.S. Department of State to step up engagement with Zambian civil society before, during and after the election, saying such cooperation was important to supporting democracy and the rule of law.
They commended Zambian civil society and advocacy organisations working on election integrity and said they remained “cautiously hopeful” that Thursday’s poll would provide an opportunity for a free and fair contest.
The statement was signed by Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Booker, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy; Merkley; and Van Hollen.
Beyond electoral concerns, the senators also touched on strains in Washington-Lusaka relations, criticizing the Trump administration’s efforts to connect U.S. health assistance with access to critical minerals under a Global Health Memorandum of Understanding. Despite those tensions, they argued that close cooperation between Zambia and the United States remained important.
The senators’ warning adds another layer of international attention to an election that is also being closely watched for its economic implications. Zambia is one of Africa’s leading copper producers, and the next government will inherit major questions surrounding mining investment, economic growth, debt management, employment and the cost of living. Reuters reported ahead of the vote that Hichilema’s economic record is emerging as a central test of his bid for another term.
For his part, Hichilema has publicly pledged that Zambia will hold free, fair, credible and peaceful elections. Addressing Parliament in February, he called on Zambians to embrace peaceful coexistence and said his government remained committed to democracy, constitutionalism and freedoms of assembly and association.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia has scheduled the first ballot for Thursday, August 13, with the verification and declaration of results expected to follow in the days after voting.
With the campaign now at its end, attention turns to polling stations and the ability of Zambia’s institutions, political parties and citizens to preserve the peaceful democratic tradition for which the country has often been recognized.
For Washington, the message from the four senators is clear: beyond who wins or loses, the credibility of the process will be critical to Zambia’s democratic standing and its relationship with international partners.
