President Hichilema to file UPND nomination today

President Hakainde Hichilema is today expected to file his nomination as the United Party for National Development (UPND) candidate for the 13 August 2026 presidential election.

According to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) schedule, the President will file at 13:00 hours at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka, where he is seeking re-election for a second term.

Speaking ahead of the filing, State House Chief Communications Specialist Clayson Hamasaka told ZNBC News that the UPND administration has driven economic recovery since taking office in 2021. He pointed to a series of achievements the President has set out as the foundation for his re-election bid.

These include a bumper maize harvest in the most recent season, the introduction of free primary and secondary education, and the national school feeding programme, which now reaches millions of pupils across the country. Mr Hamasaka also highlighted the significant expansion of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), which has been increased to forty million kwacha per constituency per year — around twenty-five times its previous level — and is funding classrooms, health posts, water projects, and skills training in every part of the country.

The filing comes during the ECZ's official nomination period, which runs from 18 to 22 May, with several presidential candidates having already submitted their papers earlier in the week. Polling day is set for Thursday, 13 August 2026.