Zambia election tests Hichilema's economic record

Zambians vote Thursday in an election testing President Hakainde Hichilema's economic record as he seeks a second term in the copper-rich nation.

Hichilema, 64, won power in 2021 and is campaigning on job creation and an infrastructure drive. His main challenger in a field of 13 other hopefuls is Brian Mundubile, a former minister in the Patriotic Front government that ruled from 2011 to 2021.

Mundubile, 55, is backed by an alliance of opposition parties and is running under the newly formed NRPUP. He told AFP on Wednesday that the government had tightened restrictions on his party's campaign and that he did not see the election as free and fair.

For many voters, the central issue is whether Hichilema's reforms have improved daily life. More than 70 percent of Zambia's 22 million people live on less than three dollars a day, according to World Bank data. Inflation fell to 6.8 percent in April and the kwacha has strengthened, but many people still face high food and energy costs. Unemployment is around 10 percent.

Zambia, Africa's second-largest copper producer, defaulted on its sovereign debt in 2020. Since then, the government has secured a debt restructuring, completed an IMF-supported programme and set a target to triple copper production by 2031.

Bus driver Ceshas Tembo, 32, told AFP he remained undecided, saying: "For many of us, it is still hand-to-mouth and even then it's never enough."

Police pledged extra security for voting day. The government said Wednesday that several people, including three former senior government officials and a Kenyan national, had been arrested over an alleged plot to interfere with the electoral system.

Up to 8.7 million voters are registered. Polling stations are due to open at 6:00 am local time and close 12 hours later. Voters will also elect 226 parliament seats, up from 156.

Results of the presidential vote are expected by August 17. The winner needs more than 50 percent to avoid a runoff.