Zambia is about to experience a defining moment in its democratic life. This Thursday, August 13 2026, Zambian voters are called to the polls to elect their next president, in a vote held simultaneously with parliamentary and local elections. This election marks the culmination of a campaign dominated by economic issues, in a southern African nation seeking to consolidate its stability after years of financial turmoil.
Fourteen candidates appear on the ballot, but the real contest is playing out between two main figures. On one side, incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema, 64, often referred to by his initials HH, is seeking a second term in office. On the other, Brian Mundubile has emerged as the leading opposition figure, in a political landscape that has otherwise remained fragmented since the death of former president Edgar Lungu, long a central figure of the opposition, in June 2025.
Hakainde Hichilema’s personal story continues to feed part of his political capital. Coming from a modest family in the south of the country, he herded cattle as a young man before earning a scholarship to study economics at the University of Zambia, followed by an MBA from the University of Birmingham in England. He went on to build a successful business career spanning real estate, finance, livestock, healthcare and tourism, before winning the presidency in 2021 on his sixth attempt, carried by widespread public discontent with the economic situation at the time.
Five years later, it is precisely that economic record Zambians are being asked to judge. The president’s camp is highlighting the successful restructuring of the country’s public debt, a major undertaking after Zambia became, in 2020, the first African country to default on its external debt, in the middle of the Covid 19 pandemic. Following lengthy negotiations, an agreement was reached in June 2023 with foreign official creditors to restructure six billion dollars of debt, paving the way for an International Monetary Fund support package worth a total of 1.7 billion dollars, spread through 2026. Despite this progress, Zambia’s public debt remains high, still representing more than 90 percent of gross domestic product in 2025.
The cost of living nonetheless remains the primary concern voiced by voters, particularly among younger generations, who find themselves caught between hope and frustration over persistent economic hardship. In this context, copper occupies a central place in campaign debates. Zambia, Africa’s second largest copper producer, is counting heavily on its mineral wealth to drive a genuine economic rebound and strengthen its position on the global commodities stage.
Politically, the opposition enters this election from a weakened position. Three parties, the Republican Progressive Party, the New Nation Party and the Party for National Unity and Progress, have already thrown their support behind Hakainde Hichilema’s candidacy, citing his record as an economic reformer. The Patriotic Front nonetheless remains the country’s main opposition party, holding fifty five seats in the outgoing National Assembly.
This election is also taking place against a backdrop of heightened vigilance over preserving democratic dialogue. In November 2025, the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement calling on political leaders to restrain and guide their supporters while working to preserve the harmony that has characterized the nation for generations. The incumbent president has himself repeatedly called on the various political formations to run peaceful, issue based campaigns, warning against insulting rhetoric, disinformation and divisive use of social media, while assuring that security forces remain on maximum alert to guarantee a calm environment before, during and after the vote.
To help ensure the transparency of the process, the Southern African Development Community has deployed one hundred and six observers to monitor the conduct of the August 13 general elections. This deployment reflects the region’s close attention to a vote widely seen as an important test of the strength of the democratic reforms Zambia has pursued in recent years, at a time when civic space across the wider region has tended to shrink.
As twenty two million Zambians prepare to cast their votes, this election represents far more than a simple choice of leader. It embodies the aspirations of a landlocked southern African nation that, through debt restructuring, mineral resource development and the pursuit of political stability, is working to chart a more prosperous future for its entire population.