Zambia’s Election Fallout: How the Ghost of Edgar Lungu and Opposition Repression Claims Shadow Hichilema’s Re-election Bid
As 64-year-old Hakainde Hichilema seeks a second term as Zambia's president following his 2021 landslide victory over Edgar Lungu, his campaign remains overshadowed by his bitter feud with the late former president's family. Even after Lungu died in South Africa in June 2025, the political battle persisted through legal battles over his final resting place.
The dispute escalated to South Africa's supreme court of appeal, which ruled in June in favor of Lungu's family against the Zambian government's attempts to stop a non-state funeral. Now, the opposition Tonse Alliance—led by 55-year-old Brian Mundubile, a former government chief whip under Lungu, alongside running mate Makebi Zulu, who served as the Lungu family's spokesperson during the burial row—is leveraging the promise to repatriate Lungu's body for a dignified burial as a central campaign pledge.
Dignity, Disruption, and Posthumous Political Weight
As Chatham House senior research fellow Christopher Vandome observed, cultural expectations surrounding death mean that even Hichilema's supporters demand due respect for the deceased, warning that messy state interventions make the incumbent look disrespectful to voters.
Democratic Claims vs. Allegations of Repression
Beyond the burial conflict, the Tonse Alliance has accused Hichilema of deploying authoritarian tactics, pointing to raids on its offices and the detention of 36 members of Mundubile's campaign team. A spokesperson for the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) furiously denied the claims, contrasting current conditions—where the opposition campaigns across all 10 provinces with open airwaves—against the 2021 election under Lungu, when Hichilema was arrested 15 times, Prime TV and the Post were shut down, and internet access was severed on election day.
Police Bias and Civil Unrest
Despite the ruling party's defense, independent monitors record a persistent pattern of state friction. Transparency International Zambia coordinator Tamika Halwiindi noted that police disruptions of rallies remain noticeably biased against opposition candidates and independents. Meanwhile, civil rights actions face direct suppression; Fight Inequality Alliance activist Mputa Ngalande reported being detained for over 12 hours in July 2024 while protesting the state power company during severe 22-hour-a-day blackouts.
As election day unfolds, Hichilema’s second-term bid sits at the intersection of historical grievances and current execution, where past repression under Lungu is balanced against immediate voter scrutiny over police conduct and energy stability.