Zambian President Edgar Lungu Image: Reuters
Faizel Patel – 12/08/2021
Zambian President Edgar Lungu faces a third election showdown with opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema on Thursday, in a vote that looks too tight to call and with mounting debt and a flagging economy taking centre stage.
In November, Africa’s No. 2 copper producer became the first African state to default on part of its debt during the coronavirus pandemic.
The International Monetary Fund warns it’s likely to be the continents slowest growing economies this year.
In office since 2015, 64-year-old Lungu narrowly defeated Hichilema, the CEO of an accountancy firm before entering politics, in a disputed election the following year.
The President has touted the new road, airport and energy projects he has overseen as laying the groundwork for economic development and growth.
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