President Hakainde Hichilema Secures Second Term in Decisive Election Victory
President Hakainde Hichilema has officially secured a second five-year term as Zambia’s Head of State following a decisive victory in the 13th August 2026 presidential election.
President Hichilema polled 2,965,326 votes, ahead of his closest challenger, Brian Mundubile of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) and the Tonse Alliance, who garnered 1,856,217.
Contesting on the ticket of the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) alongside Vice- President Mutale Nalumango, President Hichilema has crossed the constitutional threshold of more than 50 percent of the valid votes cast to secure an outright victory.
President Hichilema was officially declared winner of the presidential race by Electoral Commission of Zambia Chairperson and Returning Officer Mwangala Zaloumis at 02:41 hours on 18 August.
President Hichilema’s first term began in August 2021, when he ascended to power in a historic landslide victory against former President Edgar Lungu. Over the past five years, his administration centered its agenda on macroeconomic stability, aggressive debt restructuring, the revival of the mining sector, and the expansion of social programmes such as free public primary and secondary education.
President Hichilema maintained broad support across many provinces to seal a decisive electoral victory.
Despite heightened political rhetoric leading up to polling day, the election was conducted in a largely peaceful and orderly environment. Millions of Zambians queued at polling stations nationwide to cast their ballots, reinforcing the country’s longstanding reputation as a beacon of democratic stability and peaceful civic participation in the region.
With the second mandate confirmed, President Hichilema is set to steer the country through 2031, with his administration expected to prioritize domestic manufacturing, energy resilience, agricultural modernization, and sustained social sector investment.