Zambians are casting their ballots in a presidential election pitting incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema against former minister Brian Mundubile.
Polls opened at 6am (04:00 GMT) on Thursday in a race dominated by economic concerns and are expected to close at 16:00 GMT. Some 8.7 million people are registered to cast their ballots.
The vote will test whether economic reforms introduced by Hichilema’s government are enough to overcome widespread concerns over a rising cost of living. More than 70 percent of Zambia’s 22 million people live on less than $3 a day, according to World Bank data.
While inflation fell to 6.8 percent in April and the kwacha currency has strengthened, many still face high food and energy costs. The unemployment rate is about 10 percent.
Long regarded as one of Africa’s more stable democracies, Zambia has come under scrutiny over concerns that Hichilema’s government has narrowed the space for dissent even as it promises stronger economic recovery.
Hichilema, 64, won a 2021 election on his sixth attempt and is betting on job creation and an ambitious infrastructure drive to secure a second five-year term.
Before casting his ballot on Thursday, Hichilema urged Zambians to vote peacefully. “Today, the future of our nation is in your hands,” he wrote on X. “Please vote peacefully, respect one another and remember that we are One Zambia, One Nation.”
His main challenger Mundubile, a former minister in the Patriotic Front government that ruled from 2011 to 2021, is backed by an alliance of opposition parties and has campaigned on promises to tackle the rising cost of living, improve agriculture and restore freedoms.
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He entered the race in May, injecting uncertainty into a contest that had long appeared to be Hichilema’s to lose. “I have just come from firing someone,” said Samuel Chitendwe, a 47-year-old welder and father of four who said he voted for Mundubile. “We are tired of stories about economic progress.”
European Union election observers are watching Thursday’s election at a polling station in the capital. A local observer cited by the Associated Press news agency said confusion over voter rolls, inadequate directions and poor crowd management at some polling stations caused delays and frustration that could discourage some people from voting.
Beene Siloka, a first-time voter, said casting her ballot was a proud moment despite some initial confusion about where to wait in line.
“I’ve cast my vote, and I’m proud,” she said. “It’s my first time voting, and we’re looking forward to greater things for Zambians.”
Speaking to the AFP news agency on Wednesday, Mundubile said the government had tightened restrictions on his party’s campaign and he did not see the election as being free and fair.
He said an opposition victory would begin with “a national reset” and reconciliation in a country he described as deeply divided. “There’s very little development you can do with a divided country,” he said.
Voters are also electing candidates for 226 parliament seats, up from the previous 156. Voting has traditionally followed regional lines, with Hichilema’s party strongest in the south and west, and the PF retaining pockets of support in the north and Copperbelt.
Results of the presidential vote are expected by August 17. The winner needs more than 50 percent of votes to avoid a run-off.
Al Jazeera
