Zambia: Hichilema Wins a Stronger Mandate, but Zambia’s Democratic Test Isn’t Over

Late reforms and weak checks on power expose democratic fault lines and raise the stakes for Hichilema’s second term.

Zambia’s 13 August election delivered a second five-year term for President Hakainde Hichilema. With last-minute changes to electoral law and a fragmented opposition, the result was not unexpected.

Hichilema secured 60.5% of the vote, against National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) candidate Brian Mundubile’s 37.8%. The expanded National Assembly now has 226…