Presidential election in Zambia: the country, economically weakened, holds its breath
El presidente de Zambia, Edgar Lungu, in Lusaka, el 6 de julio de 2017 Salim Dawood AFP / Archivos
Text by: Christina Okello
8 mins
Seven million voters are being called to the polls this Thursday, August 12, in an election marked by pre-election violence and the unprecedented deployment of the army.
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"
I am a little scared and excited at the same time
", tells RFI Beatrice Chola, lawyer in Lusaka. While she is used to voting in the capital, this time, she had to make an eight-hour trip to deposit her ballot in the ballot box of another constituency, that of Kitwe, in the Copperbelt, Zambia's "copper belt". She was in this mining region visiting her sister when the voter registration was opened in November 2020. Compiled in record time, in thirty days instead of six months, these lists shocked the Zambian population. So much so that Beatrice Chola was running out of time to return home and register at the Lusaka polling stations. "
My sister then advised me to register here, in the Copperbelt,
”she says.
Back in the mining region to fulfill her electoral duty, she expressed her incomprehension in the face of the arrival of army soldiers in this electoral stronghold, a key location for the poll.
“
In Kitwe, 87 men in uniform were deployed.
I do not understand why.
This city is too small to justify such a deployment.
"
A military deployment that goes wrong
The official reason given by the authorities is the maintenance of order.
In early August, violence broke out between supporters of the PF, the ruling Patriotic Front and the UPND, the opposition's United National Development Party, armed with machetes and axes.
Two PF activists lost their lives in the clashes.
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Read also:
Zambia: as the presidential election approaches, President Lungu deploys the army in the country
But the deployment of the army is not likely to reassure the population.
"
The soldiers should stay in the barracks, it is up to the police to manage the maintenance of order,
" said Mundia Hakoola, executive director of the NGO Continental Leadership Research Institute.
On condition, however, "
to remain within the framework of the law, and to refuse that his orders be dictated by politicians,
" he told RFI.
Institutions at the boot of power?
Having come to power since 2015, following the death of his predecessor Michael Sata, President Edgar Lungu is accused by civil society of having manipulated institutions to cling to power. He stepped up acts of repression against dissent, including inflicting four months in prison on his current opponent, Hakainde Hichilema, who contested his victory in the 2016 presidential election.
Thursday's ballot promises to be tight between Lungu and Hichilema, nicknamed "HH", which raises fears of further violence.
“
People are afraid
,” says Natacha Lungu, a student (not related to the outgoing president).
We do not even dare to wear certain colors because we have heard stories of people who have been beaten up for displaying the colors associated with a political party which is not favorable to the current regime.
"
►
Read also:
Tense climate in Zambia ahead of general elections
Ethnicization of the debate
Concerns were also expressed about the “ethnicization” of the political debate.
"
We have heard that if Zambian voters vote for a candidate who advocates the interests only of their ethnicity, the rest of the population will suffer,
" adds Natacha Lungu.
During the campaign, ruling party figures rekindled old accusations that Hichilema is a "
tribalist
" who does not enjoy wide support beyond members of his ethnic group, Tonga, and cannot therefore not be considered a national leader.
But the economic woes of Zambia, which became the first African country to default on its sovereign debt, gave the UPND boss his best chance of running for president, on his sixth attempt.
Forever rivals
Hichilema, who describes himself as a “
self-made man
” has put forward his skills as a businessman and economist, proposing remedies against the economic difficulties of the country, which weighed down his rival.
President Edgar Lungu has campaigned on investment in infrastructure and increased control of copper mines, the country's main export product.
During his tenure, the leader of the Patriotic Front increased social spending, despite budgetary constraints.
A management that is far from convincing economists.
Decried economic report
"
There has been economic mismanagement, as well as a relentless appetite to spend borrowed funds to honor election promises
," says Zambian economist Caesar Cheelo.
Very indebted to China, Zambia has also been weakened by the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the end of 2020,
she could no longer repay any of her creditors, for lack of money
.
"
It is a mixture of incompetence, haste, rent-seeking and corruption that has contributed to the crisis, and which has gradually eroded the economic gains that had been won,
" adds Caesar Cheelo.
"
Dare to dream
"
"
The economic situation has become so critical that it is very difficult for small and large companies to project themselves into the future
," says activist and singer Chama Fumba.
For their part, young people are worried because there is no growth.
The challenge of this election is to dare to dream bigger than a teaching or nursing position.
"
In ten years, Zambia, a mining country with one of the continent's most dynamic economies, has seen its currency collapse and its debt soar to ten billion euros, in a country that has barely 17 million euros. 'inhabitants.
An abyssal abyss.
But Zambians aren't just waiting for a leader to make them dream, they want a president who quickly turns the country back on its feet.
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Edgar Lungu