Hichilema confirmed as sole UPND presidential candidate ahead of August election

President Hakainde Hichilema has been confirmed as the United Party for National Development's sole presidential candidate after filing his nomination papers unopposed ahead of the party's General Conference, scheduled for 15 April 2026.

The filing took place on Sunday at the UPND's Anderson Kambela Mazoka Secretariat in Lusaka, where supporters and party officials gathered alongside members of the UPND choir. Luapula Province formally nominated the president, with Lusaka, Northern, Western, Copperbelt and Eastern provinces all seconding the candidacy.

Party Elections Chairperson Likando Mufalali confirmed that nominations had closed with only one application received. "Since the opening of nominations to date, we have only received one candidate," he said. "The president has gone unopposed."

An independent elections commission led by Isaac Mwanza verified that President Hichilema met all requirements under Article 78 of the UPND constitution, confirming he had been a continuous and fully paid-up member of the party since its founding in 1998, and that he satisfied the constitutional requirements for presidential candidacy in Zambia.

Vice President Mutale Nalumango, who separately announced her intention to seek election to the party's National Management Committee, congratulated the president on the outcome. "You are the right person for the job, for our party and for our nation," she said.

President Hichilema thanked party members for their confidence, framing his candidacy in terms of continued public service. "This is not my party, this is your party," he said, citing free education and the Constituency Development Fund as emblems of his administration's record. He called on uncommitted voters to join the UPND, drawing a contrast with what he described as a more volatile political environment before his election victory in August 2021.

The UPND had already been conducting internal elections at ward, constituency, district and provincial level in preparation for the General Conference, which will formally elect party leadership ahead of the national poll on 13 August 2026.

Hichilema secured the presidency in 2021 with 59 per cent of the vote, defeating then-incumbent Edgar Lungu in what international observers characterised as a credible election. Since taking office, his administration has pointed to a decline in inflation, improved rankings on the Corruption Perceptions Index, and a rise in foreign direct investment as evidence of economic progress. Critics, however, have raised concerns about the narrowing of political space, and the Zambia Catholic Bishops Conference issued a statement late last year urging leaders to protect civic freedoms as the country approaches what is expected to be a competitive election.