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Lessons From Zambia's Election For Rest of Africa

Zambia's President-elect Hakainde Hichilema, 59, will take office on August 31, 2021, following his landslide victory against incumbent Edgar Lungu. Hichilema won with over 60% of the vote and is seen as the electorate's reaction to the incumbent's economic mismanagement and the authoritarian leadership in the southern African country.

The most obvious lesson from Zambia is that economic crisis can undermine the hold on power of genuinely repressive regimes. This might seem obvious, but the focus on ethnic, regional, or racial voting in Africa has often obscured the extent to which people vote, on the economy. Swing voters are more likely to line up behind the opposition, and ruling party supporters are most likely to stay at home, when they blame the government for economic pain.

For the third time in the country's history, power changed hands via the ballot box - not just democratically but peacefully. Along with Malawi, Zambia is now leading the way as one of a very small number of countries to move away from authoritarianism during the novel coronavirus pandemic, write Sishuwa Sishuwa and Nic Cheeseman for African Arguments.

InFocus

Pixabay, Wikipedia, MONUSCO/Alain Likota

Zambia flag, top right, Lusaka street, Victor Falls-Zambia side, polling station

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