Ce numéro de la revue de presse n’est actuellement disponible qu’en allemand et en
anglais.
Hakainde Hichilema wins presidential election in Zambia
On Tuesday morning, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) announced the results of last Thursday’s general election. According to the results, the incumbent president, Hakainde Hichilema, secured a second term with 60.5 % of the vote. Brian Mundubile, the candidate for the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) and Hichilema’s main challenger amongst 13 other candidates, received 37.9 % of votes. In the parliamentary elections, Hichilema’s United Party for National Development (UPND) received a total of 174 of the 280 seats. The NRPUP won 76 mandates.
The defeated candidate, Mundubile, had meanwhile declared victory even before the official results were announced and criticised the delay in announcing the results. Last Friday, the ECZ temporarily suspended the vote count for several hours following reports of violence against election staff and the theft of ballot papers. The night before, the authorities had also arrested eleven people during an operation at Mundubile’s residence in the Kabulonga district of Lusaka, including high-ranking opposition politicians; Mundubile is also said to have been present. A gunfight broke out during the operation, in which the opposition politician and former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was shot dead, as the authorities confirmed this week. According to the government, the operation was linked to a suspected militia group that posed a threat to national security; high-calibre military weapons, ammunition and other equipment intended for a planned armed uprising were also seized at the scene. The NRPUP rejected the allegations against it. Mundubile meanwhile stated that he was now in an undisclosed location due to security concerns.
On Wednesday, the opposition candidate announced that he would take legal action against the election result. According to him, the opposition parties united in the Tonse Pamodzi Alliance had been disadvantaged during the election campaign by the selective application of laws, attempts at intimidation and the use of state institutions. Furthermore, his campaign team had documented irregularities in the conduct, counting and transmission of the election results. He has not yet provided any evidence of manipulation of the results. The UPND rejected the allegations.
International observers also criticised the electoral process. The EU Election Observation Mission criticised, in particular, unequal conditions during the election campaign, restrictions on political freedom of action, media coverage biased in favour of the ruling party, as well as delays in the recording and transmission of results and the interruption of the vote count. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) election observation mission likewise noted reports of intimidation, assaults, abductions and damage to property in the run-up to the election, although it was unable to verify these independently. Election day itself was assessed as largely peaceful and orderly. Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern over the arrests of opposition members and called on the authorities to refrain from arbitrary arrests and to uphold the procedural rights of those detained.
The election campaign was largely dominated by economic issues. Hichilema highlighted the economic stabilisation achieved during his first term in office, whilst Mundubile called for measures to tackle the high cost of living and for growth that was more focused on the needs of the population. Hichilema was elected to office in August 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic; prior to that, Zambia had become the first African country to default on its debt in 2020. Under Hichilema’s government, agreements were reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on debt restructuring, and cooperation with international lenders was expanded. Despite the improved macroeconomic situation, poverty and the high cost of living remained key challenges. According to economic experts, it now remains to be seen whether Hichilema will succeed in transforming economic stabilisation into sustained growth during his second term in office. Even before the elections, the government had announced talks with the IMF regarding a successor programme to the $1.7 billion programme that expired in January. An agreement is sought by the end of 2026.
SADC Summit in South Africa
On Monday, the 46th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) took place in Durban, South Africa. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who had been serving as acting chair since November last year following the coup in Madagascar, has now assumed the rotating chairmanship of the regional organisation for a regular one-year term. Zambia was designated as the incoming chair and will therefore join South Africa and the outgoing chair, Zimbabwe, in the SADC Troika. Under the theme “Resilient, Sustainable, and Inclusive Industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World”, 15 of the 16 member states took part in the summit. The Comoros were not represented due to outstanding membership contributions.
Ramaphosa sets regional integration and economic development as priorities for his one-year term. The expansion of regional infrastructure as a foundation for industrialisation and closer economic integration is at the centre of these efforts. Planned investments include energy supply, economic corridors, as well as water and sanitation infrastructure. At the same time, the aim is to strengthen regional value chains and expand local and regional processing of raw materials, particularly critical minerals, as well as agricultural products.
Among other measures, the SADC Regional Development Fund is to be operationalised in order to implement regional development projects. In its final communiqué, the summit called on member states that have not yet ratified the relevant agreement to accelerate the process. The fund is intended to mobilise additional resources for regional infrastructure, industrialisation and socio-economic development programmes. Regional integration is also to be advanced in the tourism sector. The summit approved the agreement introducing the SADC Tourism UNIVISA, which is intended to allow travel across several SADC countries with a single visa. The next step is for the agreement to be signed and ratified by the individual member states. Political and security developments in the region were also on the agenda. With regard to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, SADC reaffirmed its support for coordinated regional and international efforts to restore peace and security, protect civilians and promote an inclusive dialogue. The summit also appointed former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi and former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano to the Panel of Elders, SADC’s instrument for conflict prevention and mediation. With regard to Madagascar, the heads of state and government reaffirmed SADC’s support for the reform process and the restoration of constitutional order.
Migration policy was also discussed. Ahead of the summit, South Africa had advocated stronger regional cooperation in dealing with migration and progress on the SADC Protocol on the Facilitation of the Movement of Persons. At the summit itself, President Cyril Ramaphosa reportedly briefed the heads of state and government on the migration situation in South Africa. The discussions were held behind closed doors, no specific decisions on migration policy were subsequently announced. The discussion took place against the backdrop of renewed mobilisation against undocumented foreign nationals in South Africa. In recent weeks, this has also involved attacks on foreign nationals and unrest, which has placed considerable strain on South Africa’s relations with other African countries. At the same time, pressure on the government had been growing to take stronger action against people without regular immigration status. On Monday, around 200 supporters of the anti-migration movement March and March demonstrated in Durban.
In other news
Cameroon’s women’s national football team secured the African title on Sunday. In the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in the Moroccan capital Rabat, the Lionnes Indomptables beat WAFCON debutants Malawi 3–0, with a brace from Marie Ngah and a goal from Naomi Ndjoah Eto in the first half. For Cameroon, it was their first continental title after three defeats in the AFCON final, in 1998, 2014 and 2016. Cameroon had initially failed to qualify for the tournament, but following the decision last November to expand the field from 12 to 16 teams, they were awarded a place based on their FIFA ranking, as were Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt and Mali. Algeria secured third place with a 3–2 victory on penalties over hosts Morocco on Saturday, winning a WAFCON medal for the first time. Defending champions and record WAFCON winners Nigeria only reached the quarter-finals this year, where the Super Falcons were denied by goalkeeper Michaely Bihina in a 1–0 defeat to Cameroon. By reaching the semi-finals, Algeria, Cameroon, Malawi and Morocco also qualified for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.