In an unpredictable political landscape, the President is pulling out the stops to win the next elections
Elected by a narrow margin in January 2015 and presiding over an economy in free fall, President Edgar Lungu is trying to strengthen his position through constitutional amendments and intrigues with the security services. The presidential and general elections, set for 11 August, will see the main contest take place between Lungu and his Patriotic Front (PF), and Hakainde Hichilema and his United Party for National Development (UPND). The Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) has become a spent force, owing to the political somersaults of its former leader, ex-President Rupiah Banda, who now backs Lungu. Hichilema, a neo-liberal economist, will promise better economic management. Lungu beat Hichilema by a mere 27,000 votes in last year's presidential election. From the left, Lungu has to see off a challenge from the Democratic Front, a new party which has split from the PF and is led by the late President Michael Sata's nephew, Miles Sampa.
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