Debt-ridden Zambia votes in closely contested election
Supporters of the leader of the ruling Zambia Patriotic Front, incumbent president and candidate Edgar Lungu, gather in Lusaka, on August 11, 2021 for a virtual closing rally ahead of the August 12 general election. PHOTO | AFP
Rising living costs have eroded the incumbent's support base, surveys suggest, and the election could be even tighter than 2016 polls when Hichilema lost by around 100,000 votes.
Lungu, a lawyer by training, is accused of borrowing unsustainably, particularly from Chinese creditors, to finance a spree of infrastructure projects.
Inflation soared to 24.6 percent in June, the highest rate in more than a decade, while last year Zambia became the first country in Africa to go into debt default since the coronavirus pandemic began.
