President Hichilema Urges Zambians to Back Continued Development

President Hakainde Hichilema has called on Zambians to grant the UPND a second term, arguing that the country's development drive must be allowed to reach every province.

Speaking on arrival at Mansa Airport in Luapula Province yesterday, the President said his government had delivered on its campaign promises, while acknowledging that much work still lies ahead. Chief among those achievements, he said, was free education, which has opened the classroom to every child regardless of background.

He urged the people of Luapula to vote for continued development, framing the August election as a chance to unite the country behind a shared national agenda rather than divide it. The UPND, he said, had inherited a broken economy and set about fixing it, and he cautioned voters against returning to power those who had once saddled the nation with crippling debt. Zambians, he added, should not be cheated, but should instead keep their focus firmly on the development the UPND has delivered.

The Mansa engagement was one stop on a busy day of campaigning. Later in the afternoon, the President travelled to Kasama in Northern Province, where he met party structures and adopted candidates. There, he struck a similar note, urging members to campaign hard and stand together, and pointing to the party's record as evidence of delivery rather than mere promises. With each province visited, he suggested, the campaign's momentum continues to build.

The tour shows no sign of slowing. Today, the President is expected in Mongu, Western Province.