HH Wins Poll on Mwamba's Page - With Majority of Votes

President takes more than half the vote in Facebook poll hosted by prominent opposition voice Emmanuel Mwamba

President Hakainde Hichilema has emerged the clear winner of an online poll run by one of his most outspoken critics — a result that has drawn widespread attention across Zambia's political social media landscape.

The poll was posted on the Facebook page of Emmanuel Mwamba, former Patriotic Front spokesperson and a persistent critic of the UPND administration. Mwamba asked his followers a simple question: "If elections were held today, who would you vote for?" The four options were President Hichilema, Tonse Alliance presidential candidate and Mporokoso MP Brian Mundubile, presidential aspirant Makebi Zulu, and Citizens First leader Harry Kalaba.

The result was not what many expected from a platform associated with opposition politics. Within 24 hours, over 40,000 users had voted. President Hichilema led with approximately 21,000 votes — more than 52 percent of the total — giving him a margin of around 10,000 votes over his nearest rival. Mundubile followed on roughly 27 percent, Zulu on around 18 percent, and Kalaba a distant fourth with approximately 4 percent.

The poll closed on the evening of Wednesday 4th March.

The setting was not lost on observers. "Note that people voting here are mostly PF-inclined, but HH is still winning. Imagine if it was a neutral page," one commenter wrote. Others noted that the outcome suggested the President remained the frontrunner ahead of the August 13 general election.

It should be noted that online Facebook polls carry significant methodological limitations. They are not scientifically sampled, are open to repeat participation, and reflect only the views of those who chose to engage. Critics have pointed out that the result may say as much about UPND's online mobilisation as about wider public opinion. A separate poll conducted by consultants affiliated with the University of Zambia has shown President Hichilema leading with 60 percent support, with the combined opposition on 35 percent.

What makes this particular poll striking, however, is not its methodology but its location. The result emerged not from a UPND-friendly platform, but from the page of a man who has spent years challenging the President's record and reputation.