Zambia: Zambia's Messy Election

What to make of Zambia's 2026 general elections? Zambia's 2026 general elections are unlikely to leave many citizens feeling particularly confident in their democracy. That's a shame, because in 2021, the commitment of Zambian citizens served as a bright spot in dark times for democracy advocates around the world. With grassroots organizing and impressive youth mobilization, Zambians pushed back on increasing authoritarianism to demand political change in the form of a victory for Hakainde Hichilema and his United Party for National Development (UPND) party. This time around, the presidential election had the same result--Hichilema won a second term--but the exercise sowed more doubt than confidence in democratic governance. First, Zambians experienced a notably unequal playing field in th