Zambian President-Elect Hichilema embodies hope for democratic gains in Africa

16 August 2021

The Democratic Alliance congratulates Zambian President-Elect Hakainde Hichilema and his United Party for National Development following his wonderful victory in Zambia’s presidential election held on 12 August 2021.

His victory is an incredible triumph for Mr. Hichilema, who as opposition leader endured incarceration, intense deprivation and torture at the hands of Edgar Lungu’s authoritarian government.

It is also a major triumph for democracy on the African continent. Zambian voters came out in great numbers on Thursday to show that peaceful democratic change is possible in Africa and in the South African Development Community (SADC) region.

They have shown that Africans are more than capable of using their vote to hold bad leaders accountable at the ballot box. And they have decisively rejected the notion that Africans are forever beholden to outdated liberation movement political parties that turn the state into an extraction machine for the connected few.

President-Elect Hichilema’s UPND is the Democratic Alliance’s sister party. We wish them well in building a united and prosperous Zambia for all, through promoting liberal democracy, citizen-focused government, and a thriving social market economy in Zambia.

Our sincere hope is that the material conditions of life in Zambia improve rapidly for all Zambians as the tide of confidence in the country turns in favour of growth and investment. And may South Africans be inspired to vote for that change too in our upcoming local government elections.

Issued by John Steenhuisen, Leader of the Democratic Alliance, 16 August 2021