Overview
- Voting took place on Thursday for president and parliament in a contest framed as a referendum on Hakainde Hichilema’s five-year reform program.
- In June the government completed a Debt-for-Energy swap that uses savings from bought-back bonds to fund power expansion as part of broader debt restructuring.
- Macroeconomic indicators have improved under Hichilema but many citizens still face high prices, stagnant job prospects, and limited electricity access that voters cite as urgent problems.
- Rights groups and critics warn that the 2025 Cyber Crimes Act, the rapid passage of more than 70 parliamentary amendments, and arrests of some opponents risk tightening government control and eroding democratic norms.
- The opposition is reorganized under Brian Mundubile after Edgar Lungu’s death, but remains fragmented, and international investors and lenders are watching the vote for signs about Zambia’s policy and political direction.