Zambia opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema wins presidency after five failed attempts
- Businessman Hakainde Hichilema wins Zambia’s 2021 presidential election
- Zambia has been regarded as one of Africa’s most successful democracies
Business tycoon and opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema was on Monday declared winner of the hotly contested presidential election in debt-burdened Zambia.
With 155 of 156 constituencies reporting, official results showed Hichilema had captured a landslide of 2,810,757 votes against 1,814,201 for President Edgar Lungu.
The 59-year-old veteran opposition politician beat his long-time rival Lungu following a bruising race held against the backdrop of deteriorating standards of living.
Lungu, who has been in office for six years, had tried to retain his mandate despite growing resentment about rising living costs and crackdowns on dissent.
As president, Hichilema - who has an economics degree and has promised to rebuild investor confidence - will face an economy wracked by high debt, inflation and unemployment. Last year, the copper-rich southern African nation became the first country on the continent to default on its debt in the coronavirus era.