Zambia heads to polls

Zambia will hold presidential, parliamentary and local government elections on Thursday, with President Hakainde Hichilema seeking a second five-year term against 13 other presidential candidates.

The election is expected to be closely watched, with opposition leader Brian Mundubile, who heads the Tonse Alliance, emerging as one of the main challengers to the incumbent.

The vote comes against a mixed economic backdrop for Hichilema's administration.

While inflation has declined and the Zambian kwacha has strengthened, many ordinary Zambians continue to grapple with high food and energy costs.

Critics argue that improvements in key economic indicators have yet to translate into substantial gains in living standards for large sections of the population.

Zambia, a landlocked country of about 22 million people, has around eight million registered voters expected to participate in the one-day poll.

In addition to choosing the president, voters will elect members of Parliament and representatives to local government councils.

The country uses a 50 percent-plus-one electoral system for presidential elections, meaning a candidate must secure more than half of all valid votes to win outright.

If no candidate achieves the required majority, the two leading candidates will face each other in a second-round run-off.

For Hichilema, the election will serve as a major test of public confidence in his administration and its economic policies since he took office.

For the opposition, the vote presents an opportunity to challenge the governing United Party for National Development and seek a change in leadership.

The outcome will therefore determine not only who leads Zambia for the next five years, but also the political balance in Parliament and local government.