🇿🇲 MORNING WIRE | Hichilema Fires Back, Campaign Enters Economic Battlefield
Yesterday’s UPND campaign launch outside National Heroes Stadium did more than attract a massive crowd. It marked the formal beginning of what is increasingly becoming a referendum on Zambia’s economic direction.
President Hakainde Hichilema used the occasion to directly confront Brian Mundubile’s recent attacks on inflation, foreign exchange reserves and macroeconomic policy, transforming what had been an opposition narrative into the defining policy contest of the election.
For much of the past week, Tonse Alliance candidate Brian Mundubile dominated political debate through a succession of ambitious campaign promises and controversial economic remarks. His criticism of Zambia’s US$6.5 billion foreign exchange reserves and inflation management triggered an unusually intense discussion among economists, business leaders and ordinary citizens.
Yesterday, Hichilema answered those arguments head-on, telling his supporters that Zambia’s economic recovery could not be sacrificed for what he described as simplistic political slogans.
The President defended his administration’s record on debt restructuring, reserve accumulation, free education, mining recovery and economic stabilisation while acknowledging that many households continue to struggle with the cost of living.
“We hear you. We feel your challenges,” he told supporters, promising that reducing living costs would remain a priority while insisting that a stable economy was necessary to sustain social services.
The exchanges signal a notable shift in the campaign. Until now, the opposition had largely dictated conversation through rallies and campaign promises.
Sunday demonstrated that the ruling party is prepared to contest that narrative directly. The campaign is no longer simply about turnout or entertainment. It is increasingly becoming a debate over competing economic philosophies: macroeconomic stability versus immediate household relief, continuity versus change.
With 45 days remaining before polling day, the election has entered a new phase. The crowds will continue to matter. So will the slogans. But after yesterday, economic credibility has emerged as the central battleground, and both camps now know that voters are listening as closely to the numbers as they are to the applause.
© The People’s Brief | Chileshe Sengwe
