When Hakainde Hichilema rose to the presidency in Zambia five years ago, he was praised for defeating the incumbent, who had been accused of violent repression and electoral fraud.
Mr. Hichilema symbolized a triumph of African democracy, and the promise of freedom and economic reforms that would boost his copper-rich nation.
Now, as he stands for re-election on Thursday, Mr. Hichilema, 64, is the one facing allegations of violence and repression in his effort to maintain power.
Mr. Hichilema’s main opponent, Brian Mundubile, and civil society organizations have accused the police and members of the president’s party of a crackdown on the opposition, including a recent incident in which Mr. Mundubile had to be rushed away from a campaign rally after the police fired tear gas.
They accuse the government of imposing administrative hurdles making it difficult for opposition parties to register and of abusing state resources to win over voters.
During his term, Mr. Hichilema’s government has passed laws that activists say punish public criticism, restrict press freedom and attempt to stack Parliament in his favor.
“A lot has happened in these five years, which is just leading down the path of the consolidation of power, intolerance for dissent,” said Linda Kasonde, a human rights lawyer in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.
She added that she feared the country was headed toward “some kind of authoritarian state.”
Mr. Hichilema has denied the allegations against him and denounced political violence on social media. His government has suggested that some of the violence was being staged to portray the president in a negative light.
“There’s not a moment when we are engaged in activities that create laws that favor a few and disadvantage the rest of the country,” said Sikwindi Situla, a spokesman for Mr. Hichilema’s party, the United Party for National Development.
Mr. Hichilema has focused his campaign on the economic progress the country has made under his leadership. He has restructured Zambia’s crushing debt, freeing up funds for more social spending. Inflation has been reduced, infrastructure spending has increased and more investment has poured into the country, including the booming mining sector.
Mr. Hichilema’s party has fulfilled just over half of its campaign promises, according to an assessment by the Alliance for Accountability Advocates Zambia, a civil society organization.
“We inherited a broken-down country, completely broken down,” Mr. Hichilema said in an interview with the BBC. “By and large, we’ve delivered.”
The election comes at a delicate diplomatic moment for Zambia. The former U.S. ambassador to Zambia recently caused a stir when he publicly accused the Zambian government of corruption. Zambian officials fired back, accusing the United States of demanding access to the country’s critical minerals in exchange for providing foreign aid.
Zambia is one of the world’s largest copper producers but also has large reserves of lithium and cobalt, and the United States has been looking to increase its access to the country’s minerals, which are currently dominated by Chinese businesses.
Despite Mr. Hichilema’s economic changes, many Zambians say they are struggling, a dynamic that analysts say has tightened the race, even though Mr. Hichilema remains favored to win. The cost of living has increased, power outages have been frequent and poverty is on the rise.
Norman Nguni, a roadside vendor in Lusaka, says business has been so bad lately that he can afford only one meal a day for his family, rather than the three he used to provide.
“Most of my expectations with the economy have not been met,” said Mr. Nguni, 47. He added that he worried another term for Mr. Hichilema “would mean more economic hardships.”
Given Mubinta, 50, a taxi driver in the capital, said he had seen jobs become more readily available under Mr. Hichilema and that government assistance had benefited communities.
“People are being employed without corruption now, and the cash for work is reaching grandmothers and widows really in need of it,” he said.
When Mr. Hichilema’s predecessor as president, Edgar Lungu, died last year, the nation’s politics experienced a shift. Mr. Lungu, a rival to Mr. Hichilema, had been a popular figure in his party, the Patriotic Front, able to rally supporters.
Since Mr. Lungu’s death, his family has been caught in a bitter battle with the Hichilema administration over his burial. While Mr. Hichilema has sought a state funeral and interment in Zambia, the former president’s family has pushed for a burial in South Africa, where he died, arguing that Mr. Lungu did not want Mr. Hichilema involved.
The dispute remains unresolved in court. And 14 months after his death, Mr. Lungu has yet to be buried.
Zimasa Matiwane contributed reporting from Johannesburg.
The post Zambia Prepares for High-Stakes Election as President Seeks New Term appeared first on New York Times.
