Hakainde Hichilema was inaugurated for a second five-year term as Zambia's president on 1 September 2026 at the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka, pledging to shift the country's focus from economic stabilisation to broad-based growth. Thousands of supporters dressed in the red colours of his United Party for National Development (UPND) cheered inside the packed stadium, while a handful of African leaders — including Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan — attended the ceremony. "Having done the heavy lifting in our first term, the next five years is all about growth, expansion, opportunity and prosperity for all our people," Hichilema declared in his address.

The inauguration, however, was overshadowed by serious political tensions. Hichilema, a 64-year-old businessman, won the 13 August election with 60 percent of the vote, against runner-up Brian Mundubile of the NRPUP alliance, who took 38 percent. The day after polling, security forces raided Mundubile's home, saying they were targeting a suspected militia posing a national security threat — a claim his alliance strongly rejected. A former cabinet minister was killed in the operation, and eleven members of Mundubile's camp were arrested. Mundubile and his running mate went into hiding before surrendering to police on 27 August; both have since been charged with treason, a charge they deny. The election itself was marred by allegations of voter intimidation, pro-government bias and restrictions on opposition activity.

Hichilema's first term brought notable economic achievements to Zambia, a landlocked southern African nation of around 22 million people and the continent's second-largest copper producer. He came to office in 2021 after predecessor Edgar Lungu's government defaulted on sovereign debt in 2020, and pursued market-friendly reforms that brought down inflation and grew international reserves. He also abolished the death penalty and made primary and secondary education free. Critics, however, argue that gains have not reached ordinary households — a point Hichilema acknowledged, conceding "challenges with the cost of living" while framing his new mandate as the moment to translate stability into tangible prosperity. More than 70 percent of Zambians live on less than three dollars a day, according to World Bank data.

The political backdrop carries uncomfortable echoes for Hichilema personally. After losing the 2016 presidential election, he was himself charged with treason — for allegedly failing to pull over for the presidential motorcade — and spent four months in a maximum-security prison before charges were dropped. Critics note that space for political dissent narrowed during his own first term, and the arrest of the main opposition leader on the eve of his inauguration has raised questions about the state of democratic norms. Since independence from Britain in 1964, Zambia has been regarded as one of southern Africa's more stable democracies, with a tradition of peaceful transfers of power — a reputation now under renewed scrutiny.