HH To File Presidential Nomination Today

United Party for National Development presidential candidate Hakainde Hichilema will today file his nomination papers to contest the 2021 presidential election on August 12.  

Mr Hichilema will officially register his intention to run between 1 and 2 o’clock today (Wednesday) at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka. This will be the sixth time he has campaigned for the office of president, after narrowly missing out by just a few thousand votes in 2015 and 2016. 

Writing on his Facebook page today, HH offered up a prayer thanking God for the opportunity to serve his country. 

“Thank You that You had a plan to redeem. Thank You that you make all things new. Thank You that Your face is towards the righteous, You are close to the brokenhearted, You hear our prayers, and know our hearts,” he wrote.

As the official campaign period gets underway, there are concerns that this election season may be as fraught and violent as any Zambia has known. In March, University of Zambia lecturer Sishuwa Sishuwa warned that Zambia was teetering on the edge of civil unrest, as the result of a systematic effort by the Patriotic Front to undermine trust in democratic institutions.  

Over the weekend, a UPND billboard was burned down by suspected PF cadres, just one day after being put up. It followed an attack earlier this month against a printing company that was making UPND-branded T shirts. 

Since then, HH has called for peace and understanding among Zambians, during this politically turbulent time. 

Writing on Facebook, he said: “I wish to appeal to our supporters to maintain highest levels of order and discipline. We should not allow those who wish to see this process degenerate into chaos, an excuse to disturb this important democratic undertaking”.  

He also appealed to the police to exercise “professionalism and fairness” in dealing with UPND supporters, who he said have a right to assembly and association.