Charles Oduor 
Hakainde Hichilema has finally been declared winner of Zambia’s presidential race by ousting the incumbent, Edgar Lungu. The chairman of the Zambian National Electoral Commission, Esau Chulu, announced the official results this Monday, after the results of all but one state census were obtained.
The figures show that Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) received 2,810,777 votes; surpassing current president Edgar Lungu from the Patriotic Front (PF) party with 1,814,201 votes. Seven million voters were registered to vote in a country with a total population of 19 million citizens.
Zambia has witnessed three changes where incumbent leaders are ousted by rivals. This was preceded in death by the country’s first president and father of independence, Kenneth Kaunda, who lost to Frederick Chiluba in the first multi-party elections in 1991.
Kaunda ruled Zambia for 27 years, under a one-party system, his United National Independent Party (UNIP). Those who followed after Chiluba were Levy Mwanawasa, Rupiah Banda, Michael Sata, Guy Scott and Edgar Lungu.
By Wycliffe Andabwa
