President Hakainde Hichilema has officially unveiled Vice President Mutale Nalumango as his running mate and successfully filed his nomination papers for the August 13, 2026 general elections.
President Hichilema, who is seeking a second term in office, arrived at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka at 15:20 hours accompanied by First Lady Mutinta, senior party officials, alliance partners, and thousands of supporters.
The Head of State filed his nomination papers before the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), confirming his participation in the forthcoming presidential election.
Returning Officer, Mwangala Zaloumis declared Mr Hichilema’s nomination and that of his running mate, Mutale Nalumango as valid.
“With the powers vested in me in the constitution, I declare you Mr President Hakainde Hichilema and your running mate Mutale Nalumango successful to contest the August polls,” Ms Zaloumis stated.
Speaking shortly after the successful filing of the nominations, President Hichilema thanked the ECZ leadership and staff for managing the nomination process and handling the submissions from aspiring candidates.
“We have successfully filed our nominations for the President and running mate in the election of August 13, 2026. That is our confirmation,” President Hichilema said.
He commended other aspiring candidates who had successfully gone through the process and encouraged those who did not make it to remain hopeful.
“We congratulate those who have succeeded. Those that have not succeeded, we can only say good luck and perhaps next time they will make it,” he said.
The Head of State noted that the successful filing of nominations marked only the beginning of the electoral process, adding that the focus would now shift to engaging citizens ahead of the polls.
“Now we have to work hard to convince the people of Zambia to vote for us on Election Day,” he said.
The President stated that his campaign would be anchored on the performance of his administration over the last four years, citing economic recovery efforts and development programmes undertaken during his first term.
“Our basis of convincing the people is on delivery and performance in the first term. So far, we have done the heavy lifting. What is left is to accelerate economic growth, create jobs for the youthful population and provide business opportunities for all across the country without exception,” he said.
He also thanked UPND members, alliance partners and the Zambian people for the opportunity to govern during the past four years.
Meanwhile, Lusaka was awash with red as thousands of UPND members and supporters turned up to back President Hichilema’s bid for re-election.
The unveiling of Ms Nalumango as running mate adds to the growing number of female running mates being adopted by political parties in this year’s election, a trend that has emerged since constitutional reforms introduced the election of a Republican President together with a running mate.
UPND Alliance comprising the Party of National Unity and Progress led by Highvie Hamududu, the Movement for Democratic Change headed by Felix Mutati, the New Nation Party under Nevers Mumba, and the Alliance for Democracy and Development led by Charles Milupi also witnessed the colorful declaration ceremony for the Head of State.
President Hichilema joins 13 other presidential aspirants among them a female candidate participating in this year’s general elections towards a competitive presidential contest.
