ZAMBIANS, IN THEIR MILLIONS, driven by the youth who were desiring change, gave opposition leader, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, 2,810,777 votes, against incumbent President EDGAR LUNGU, 1,814,201 votes, to emerge president-elect in the country’s presidential election. It has been described as a landslide victory with more than one million votes.
Zambia electoral commission, on Monday, declared Hakainde Hichilema winner of the fiercely contested presidential election, on his sixth attempts to be the country’s president, held August 12, 2021. There have been celebrations of his victory across streets in Zambia, by his supporters.
Hichilema has accepted the victory. He has, also, extended hands of friendship to the outgoing president Lungu. President Lungu has congratulated him and accepted defeat. In his speech on national television to the people of Zambia, he stated that he is committed to a smooth transfer of power, but claimed that the elections were not free and fair.
Hichilema, 59, lashed in on President Lungu’s six-years of misrule, which has plunged Zambia into failing economy, mass unemployment, alleged corruption and human rights abuses. The new president-elect, Hichilema, will be faced the challenge of turning Zambia’s economy round and restoring the dignity of the people.
POLITICAL WINDS OF CHANGE, that gave Hichilema victory, on his sixth attempts, at the Zambian presidency, was driven by the youth, who were reported to have, often, been reluctant to vote. This time around, they turned out in huge numbers and voted out incumbent President Edgar Lungu, who Zambians have lost confidence in his leadership.
Jubilant youth were among the crowd in the streets of the country’s capital, Lusaka, Zambia, celebrating the victory of Hichilema, immediately the election results were declared by the country’s electoral commission. The youth were chanting “We want jobs, young people want jobs”. Hichilema is the seventh president of the country.
This is the third time Zambia is transferring power to opposition candidate in an election, placing it as one of Africa’s most democratic countries.
Hichilema has a notable background. He holds an MBA from the University of Birmingham in the UK. He is classified among Zambia’s richest men. He has business interests in ranching, property, healthcare, tourism and finance.
