Hakainde Hichilima: How Zambia's new President aims to rule differently

The country of Zambia for the last 30 years has been a beacon of democracy in the Southern African region and this is testament to the various transitions of power, not just of Presidents but of ruling parties as well, in a region which has been beset by dominant-party systems. Thus, Zambia's democracy can be seen as consolidated as it has matured as a result of holding elections which, although have been contested at various junctions, has led to a change in both the executive and political party and this process has helped to keep Zambia's democratic norms and ethics alive. This is not to say that the transition to democracy in the country was by any means smooth. Quite the opposite as the country came out of 27 years as a one-party state led by its first President Kenneth Kaunda (1924-2021). Unlike many in the continent Kaunda read the public mood and finally settled for a multi-party democracy at a time many on the continent opted for one-party states. His successor Frederick Chiluba (1943-2011) won resoundingly in 1991 but in just a few years that democracy began to experience fissures with Kaunda been a clear target to Chiluba's power and was subsequently arrested in 1997 before a domestic and international outcry led to his release. This type of oppression of opponents seems to have repeated itself in Zambia 20 years later when opposition leader 

'History repeating itself'

Hakainde Hichilima experienced this first hand following a meager issue involving his motorcade not giving way to the presidential motorcade that led to his incarceration for 4 months. This occurred at a time when then President Edgar Lungu seemed to have desired to consolidate his power as he aimed to run for a third term in 2021 which was Hichilima's sixth attempt since running against incumbent President Levy Mwanawasa in 2006 who was a popular President at the time. Zambia since that time has been dealing with a democratic deficit and many political commentators noted that unless there was an overhaul of Zambia's politics the country was sliding towards a pariah status and authoritarian state.

'The youth vote prevails' 

The 2021 elections proved beyond reasonable doubt that change was possible with Hichilima's United Party for National Development (UPND) winning resoundingly by a million votes more than Lungu's Patriotic Front thanks largely to the youth vote. This was due to Hakainde's UPND party intensifying its campaign towards young voters who were fed up with poverty, inequality and unemployment, as well as a myriad of problems. His inauguration was a breath of fresh air and he even invited opposition leaders and figures from the region, a completely different tone to the status quo. In his speech he stated his presidential goals which were encouraging and set the tone for his presidency which continues to be scrutinised but yet celebrated as a rare moment in African politics. 

'Democracy wins'

To date newly elected President Hichilima continues to break with the status quo and implement much needed reforms to develop Zambia in addition to improving and promoting democratic norms and practices which under the previous administration appeared to be trampled on. Our hope is for President Hichilima to follow through on all his campaign pledges and fulfill the aspirations of the voters, particularly the youth who came out in their numbers to support him. Zambia has a myriad of problems, chief among them being Chinese debt which the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) states is as high as US$6.6 billion. He has also been negotiating a bailout with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for an extended credit facility. His 100 days in office have yielded a mixture of successes such as restoring the rule of law which is very important in moving the country towards a consolidated democratic path while causes of concern include unemployment which continues to be a problem as it is still too high but these are early days but his supporters want him to act quickly on such pertinent issues. We encourage him to stay on this positive trajectory of consolidating democratic values and norms and be a formidable example to future generations as he builds Zambia towards a much hoped for prosperous future.