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38-647: Before 2016, the district had three electoral constituencies; namely Solwezi West, Solwezi Central and Solwezi East. But from the 2016 general election going forward, the Solwezi West constituency now constitutes Kalumbila District while the Solwezi East constituency now constitutes Mushindamo District , leaving Solwezi District with only one constituency ( Solwezi Central ). 12°25′S 26°00′E  /  12.417°S 26.000°E  / -12.417; 26.000 This Zambia location article

76-656: A Freemason and labeled people accusing him as malicious. He also sued Bishop Edward Chomba of the Eastern Orthodox Church for defamation after the former called him a Satanist and a Freemason. Hichilema was named in the Panama Papers , with the leak stating that he was the director of Bermuda -based company AfNat Resources Ltd from March to August 2006. The company engaged in nickel exploration in Zambia and other African countries. According to

114-674: A prison called Hakainde Hichilema's Prison Diary was released on 29 September 2017 by journalist Fredrick Misebezi. Hichilema endorsed the book and urged the public to read it. On 23 December 2020, Hichilema received a warning and caution at the Zambian Police Headquarters in Lusaka for an alleged offence of " conspiracy to defraud contrary to section 313 of the Penal Code, Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia" , relating to

152-762: A victory for the Patriotic Front (PF), whose candidate Michael Sata was elected president, with the PF winning 61 of the 150 seats in the National Assembly. Following Sata's death in October 2014, early presidential elections were held to elect a successor to complete the remainder of his five-year term, and PF candidate Edgar Lungu was elected. Edgar Lungu beat Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development by just 27,757 votes and

190-645: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . 2016 Zambian general election Lungu Hichilema Edgar Lungu PF Edgar Lungu PF General elections were held in Zambia on 11 August 2016 to elect the President and National Assembly . A constitutional referendum was held alongside the elections, with proposals to amend the bill of rights and Article 79. President Edgar Lungu , previously elected in January 2015 to finish

228-606: The 2015 presidential elections and Lungu won by a very narrow margin. Both sides traded accusations of inciting violence for political gain; the ruling Patriotic Front accused the United Party for National Development (UPND), of inciting unnecessary violence, and carrying out its "Operation Watermelon" to create tension in the country. In response, the UPND accused the Patriotic Front of politicising state entities against them. Violent outbreaks occurred in Lusaka after

266-516: The United Party for National Development since 2006 following the death of the party founder Anderson Mazoka . Prior to his election, Hichilema was a major opponent of Edgar Lungu , the president of Zambia from 2015 to 2021. On 11 April 2017, Hichilema was arrested and charged with treason , a move that was seen as an illegitimate act by Lungu to silence a political rival. The arrest and charge were widely condemned, with protests held in Zambia and abroad, demanding Hichilema's release and condemning

304-533: The University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. He served as the chief executive officer of both Coopers and Lybrand Zambia (1994–1998) and Grant Thornton Zambia (1998–2006). Hichilema is a member of the ruling United Party for National Development , a liberal political party . Following the death of Anderson Mazoka in 2006, he was elected as the party's new President. He also served as

342-530: The 2016 elections to a firm in Dubai . The contract was significantly more expensive and many opposition parties criticised the move. Parties opposed the move as printing the ballot papers outside Africa was expensive to verify and increased the chance of electoral fraud. To counter the suspicion of rigging, the Electoral Commission allowed party officials to travel to Dubai to witness the printing of

380-428: The Electoral Commission on 15 August showed Edgar Lungu winning the presidential election with slightly more than 50% of the vote, ahead of his only major competitor, Hakainde Hichilema, who received almost 48%. Lungu finished a few thousand votes over the threshold for an outright victory. PF members took to the street to celebrate Lungu's victory, whilst riots took place in most parts of the country. The UPND rejected

418-486: The arrest and said Zambia had become a dictatorship under President Edgar Lungu. Julius Malema , the leader of South Africa's EFF party, accused Zambia's president Edgar Lungu of apartheid style repression for detaining Hichilema on treason charges and called president Lungu a "coward". Mmusi Maimane , the leader of South Africa's DA party, who was denied entry into Zambia to visit Hichilema in Jail (stopped from exiting

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456-420: The ballots; all ballot papers were to be only released if all party officials approved of the process. The printing was completed on 20 July 2016 and the ballots were transported to Zambia on 28 July 2016. However, concerns with respect to the transport and distribution of the ballot papers then arose. The Zambian Air Force were responsible for distributing the ballots across the country. Results announced by

494-531: The claims, saying that the weapons were planted there after the arrest. The police raided the house following alleged political poster vandals hiding in the house. A total of 28 people were arrested in the raid. There was a lot of controversy in the printing of the ballot papers; previously all ballot papers had been printed in South Africa , but the Electoral commission of Zambia awarded the contract for

532-583: The collapse of the pact in March 2011. He was one of the two main candidates in the January 2015 presidential election , which he lost by a narrow margin of 27,757 votes (1.66%) against the ruling party's candidate, Edgar Lungu . Hichilema denounced the election as a sham and urged his supporters to remain calm. He again faced Lungu as the main opposition candidate in the August 2016 presidential election , and

570-589: The elections. The running mate, now being an elected member, can assume office directly if the president is deemed unfit to rule. Of the 159 members of the National Assembly, 150 are elected by the first-past-the-post system in single-member constituencies, with a further eight appointed by the President and a Speaker elected from outside the National Assembly. The voting age is 18, whilst National Assembly candidates must be at least 21. A total of nine candidates along with their running mates registered to run for

608-770: The event which drew large crowds and was aired live on television. The event was originally scheduled to take place the previous week on 24 August but was blocked by heavily armed state police who sealed off the venue. Hichilema became more popular after his release and was awarded the Africa Freedom Award in Johannesburg , South Africa. He was invited to speak at Chatham House in London and was also invited to speak in South Africa by Democratic Alliance Members of Parliament. A book about Hichilema's time in

646-705: The general debate of the Seventy-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly . Hichilema is married to Mutinta and has three children. He is a baptized member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and on 12 December 2020, he and his wife got invested as Master Guides in Lusaka. Hichilema is a millionaire and the second-largest cattle rancher in Zambia. In December 2014, he denied being

684-508: The government made the decision to suspend the operations of The Post newspaper (one of the several independent newspapers in the country) on 10 June. As a result of the violence, the Election Commission suspended campaigning in Lusaka and Namwala for ten days, and the ban on the newspaper was lifted on 18 July. However, on 23 June the government started taking action against The Post for unpaid taxes of around $ 6 million;

722-628: The increasing authoritarianism of Lungu's regime. Hichilema was released from prison on 16 August 2017, and the charge of treason was dropped. Hichilema was born in a village in Monze District in present-day Zambia. He received a scholarship to study at the University of Zambia and graduated in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Administration . He thereafter pursued an MBA in Finance and Business Strategy at

760-515: The kitchen and defecated on Hichilema's bed. Teargas canisters were thrown inside Hichilema's home gassing Hichilema, his asthmatic wife, and his children, who collapsed several times due to inhaling the gas. Hichilema said in an interview on HARDtalk that during his time in prison he was held in solitary confinement for eight days without food, water, light, or visitation, was tortured by having his penis pepper sprayed , and accused President Lungu of having tried to kill him. The arrest

798-656: The leader of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), an alliance of three opposition political parties. In the 2006 election , Hichilema was the candidate of the UDA and ran against incumbent president Levy Mwanawasa of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy and Patriotic Front candidate Michael Sata . He received the endorsement of former President Kenneth Kaunda . The election was held on 28 September 2006 and Hichilema took third place with about 25% of

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836-430: The newspaper denied the claim saying the issue was still being discussed in court. The opposition accused the government of silencing the media. On 20 July Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, the vice president of the UPND, was arrested along with several party officials with the accusation that they were trying to start a private militia. The police raided his house and found petrol bombs, machetes and spears. The opposition denied

874-412: The opposition has yet to accept the credibility of the election. Although previously the President had been elected in a single round of voting by the first-past-the-post system , in 2015 the National Assembly approved the change in the constitution to change to a two-round system . The constitutional change also introduced the concept of running mates; previously the vice president was appointed after

912-519: The plane at Lusaka 's Kenneth Kaunda International Airport ) strongly denounced the trumped up charges against Hichilema. Protests broke out in Zambia, South Africa and the United Kingdom demanding the release of Hichilema and condemning Edgar Lungu's authoritarian rule and deteriorating human rights in Zambia. Celebrations took place throughout Zambia when Hichilema was released from prison on 16 August 2017 and scores of people lined up

950-424: The presidency. Out of the 46 political parties, only five managed to pay their candidate's deposit by the deadline of 17 May 2016. The deadline was subsequently extended by a day, with four other parties nominating a candidate. The race was expected to be a close race mainly between Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front and Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development . Both leaders competed in

988-662: The purchase of a property in 2004. As Hichilema arrived for questioning, police clashed with UPND supporters. In an attempt to disperse the crowd, police reportedly shot dead a State Prosecutor and a UPND supporter. Hichilema ran for President for the sixth time in the election held on 12 August 2021. The electoral commission chairman Esau Chulu declared that he had won the election in the early hours of 16 August. Following his victory, Hichilema declared his wish to appoint qualified Zambians into his administration. Among his appointments were those of Sylvia Masebo , Situmbeko Musokotwane , and Jito Kayumba , among others. Hichilema

1026-436: The results, saying that the electoral commission had colluded to rig the result in favour of Lungu. The UPND filled a petition to the constitutional court over the recount of votes in Lusaka as major irregularities were reported from the city. Lungu, who could only be inaugurated seven days after being proclaimed the victor, held a celebratory rally on 16 August for his re-election that secured him another five-year term. He

1064-523: The roads of Lusaka to have a glimpse of Hichilema as his motorcade left prison. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan , congratulated the Zambian authorities for dropping the treason charges against Hichilema and releasing him from prison. Thanksgiving prayers were held to celebrate Hichilema's release from jail at the Cathedral of Holy Cross in Lusaka on 29 August 2017 and Hichilema was present at

1102-553: The term of Michael Sata , who died in office, was re-elected for a full five-year term with a majority of the vote in the first round, defeating opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema . Lungu's Patriotic Front also won a majority in the National Assembly for the first time, winning 80 of the 156 elected seats. Lungu was inaugurated on 13 September 2016 at the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka despite opposition. The previous general elections in 2011 resulted in

1140-432: The vote. Hichilema ran as the UPND candidate in the 2008 election , which was called following the death of President Levy Mwanawasa. He came 3rd with 19.7% of the vote. In June 2009, Hichilema's party, the UPND, formed a pact with Michael Sata 's Patriotic Front (PF) to contest the 2011 election together. However, indecision on the pact candidate, deep mistrust, and accusations of tribalism from both sides resulted in

1178-541: Was accused of endangering the president's life after his motorcade allegedly refused to give way to the one transporting Lungu, a case which many viewed as a minor traffic offence and not one that could amount to treason. Hichilema strongly denied the charge, which carries a maximum sentence of death penalty . The police used excessive force to enter Hichilema's residence damaging his home and property, beat up all his workers, stole money, jewellery, as well as underwear, shoes, speakers, blankets, carpets and food from

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1216-672: Was after management at ZNBC had granted a request by the UPND through its spokesman, Charles Kakoma, who had written to ZNBC Director General Richard Mwanza requesting that Mr. Hichilema is featured on the Sunday Interview on 17 December. The program was prerecorded on a Thursday before at 10:30 and was aired on Sunday evening. Hichilema was invited to speak at The Royal Institute of International Affairs , commonly known as Chatham House, on 31 October 2017. He returned to Chatham House following his election as President, on 5 November 2021. On 21 September 2022, Hichilema addressed

1254-545: Was again narrowly defeated. In April 2017, he was arrested on suspicion of treason and charged with attempting to overthrow the government. He was in prison for four months before being given a nolle prosequi . Hichilema was arrested on 11 April 2017. On the night of 11 April 2017 the Zambian Police broke into Hichilema's compound to arrest the country's main opposition leader, ordered by President Edgar Lungu 's government and charged with treason after he

1292-520: Was featured on the BBC television program HARDtalk on 1 November 2017 and was interviewed by Stephen Sackur . He was the first Zambian opposition political leader to be hosted on HARDtalk and the third Zambian politician featured after former President Levy Mwanawasa and former Vice-President Guy Scott . On 17 December 2017, Hichilema featured on ZNBC 's Sunday Interview, making him the first opposition political leader to be hosted on that program. This

1330-556: Was in jail, President Lungu imposed a state of emergency , a move critics saw as an effort to tighten his grip on power. Hichilema's arrest was widely condemned. The United States , the European Union and the European Parliament denounced the arrest. The Africa Liberal Network condemned the arrest as an attempt by President Lungu to silence dissent and opposition. The Catholic bishops strongly condemned

1368-516: Was not allowed to disembark from the plane, had his phone confiscated, and was roughed up. This prompted South Africa's Foreign Ministry to summon Zambia's Ambassador to South Africa Emmanuel Mwamba to explain the actions of the Zambian regime. Former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo visited Hichilema in prison. Secretary General of the Commonwealth , Baroness Patricia Scotland visited Hichilema in prison twice. While Hichilema

1406-402: Was sworn in on 13 September 2016. Hakainde Hichilema Hakainde Hichilema (born 4 June 1962) is a Zambian businessman, farmer, and politician who is the seventh and current president of Zambia since 24 August 2021. After having contested five previous elections in 2006 , 2008 , 2011 , 2015 and 2016 , he won the 2021 presidential election with 59.02% of the vote. He has led

1444-615: Was the subject of the episode of Al Jazeera 's The Stream TV program titled Is Zambia's Democracy in Danger?, which aired on 30 May 2017. Zambia's first president Kenneth Kaunda was turned away by prison officials when he visited Hichilema in Prison. Mmusi Maimane , leader of the Democratic Alliance (South Africa) was also turned away by Zambia Police when he came to Zambia to attend Hichilema's court appearance. He

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