About this episode

The episode discusses the upcoming general elections in Zambia and the political landscape surrounding incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema.

This week on Spotlight on Africa, we're heading to Zambia, where general elections are set to take place on the 13th August. Voters will go to the polls to elect a president, members of the National Assembly, councillors and council chairs. Incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema has already picked up endorsements from within his own camp, the UPND Alliance, the coalition that's held power since 2021. So what's at stake, and who's in the running? This week on the podcast, we're heading to Zambia , which is gearing up for elections next month and is now in full campaign mode. Two of our RFI colleagues, Yang Mei and Igor Strauss, travelled to Zambia recently for in-depth reporting on four years of Hakainde Hichilema 's rule, and his chances of re-election. In power since August 2021, "HH", as he's most often called, is a businessman, farmer and politician, and the seventh president of Zambia. General elections are due to be held in the country on 13 August 2026 to elect a president, members of the National Assembly, councillors and council chairs. The year ahead for African democracy: who is going to the polls in 2026? Hichilema has received endorsements from some members of the…

People in this episode

Guests: Yang Mei, Igor Strauss

Topics covered

• Zambia elections
• Hakainde Hichilema
• African democracy
• political campaigns
• UPND Alliance

Keywords

• Zambia
• Hakainde Hichilema
• elections
• UPND Alliance
• politics
• democracy
• campaign

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UPND Alliance, Party of National Unity and Progress, Movement for Multi-Party Democracy

Places: Zambia

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