Can the youth decide Zambia's next president? With 72 hours to go, Hakainde Hichilema is betting everything on them.

Well, it's all kicking off in Lusaka.

With just days to go before Zambia heads to the polls on Thursday, 13th August, President Hakainde Hichilema was out in full campaign mode on Monday, rallying students in the capital.

And his message? Simple. Get talking. Everywhere.

As reported by cbinews.tv, Hichilema told the crowd:

"Are you ready to campaign? Campaign at the schools, colleges, in the rooms to your roommates, at the market when you are buying something, campaign in the bus -- everywhere."

It's a smart move. Why? Because the numbers are staggering. According to Zambia's Electoral Commission, nearly half of all registered voters are aged between 18 and 35. In a country where 60% of the population is under 25, the youth vote isn't just important — it could be the whole ball game.

So, what's really at stake?

This is no ordinary vote. It's being billed as a straight-up referendum on Hichilema's first term.

Remember, the man they call "Bally" came to power in a historic landslide in 2021, ending Edgar Lungu's rule. He inherited a mess — Zambia had just become Africa's first pandemic-era nation to default on its sovereign debt in 2020.

Since then, he's been the darling of investors. He clinched a $1.3bn IMF bailout, restructured over $6bn in debt, and pushed hard on copper — the red metal that still provides about 9% of GDP and 72% of Zambia's export earnings. Inflation has cooled, the kwacha has stabilised, but on the ground? The cost of living is still biting hard.

That's the opening his main challenger has been waiting for.

While there are 14 candidates on the ballot, this has turned into a two-horse race. His chief rival, 55-year-old lawyer and former minister Brian Mundubile, has surged from nowhere after securing the backing of the Tonse Alliance — a big-tent coalition of opposition parties that includes loyalists of the late former President Lungu. His running mate is Makebi Zulu, Lungu's family spokesperson, which tells you exactly which vote they are chasing.

So, the question for Zambians on Thursday is brutal and simple: do Hichilema's tough economic reforms deserve a second term to finally create jobs, or is it time to gamble on the opposition's promise of immediate relief?

The vote will also be a huge test for Zambia itself. For decades, it has been one of Africa's most stable democracies — famous for that peaceful handover in 1991 when Kenneth Kaunda stepped aside. But this campaign has seen pockets of violence, and critics have slammed last-minute constitutional changes to expand parliament as a power grab.

All eyes on Lusaka now. As cbinews.tv notes, Zambia's reputation for stability is on the line — and this time, it's the students who might decide it.

Source: cbinews.tv

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