New Zambian President and longtime opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema got sworn into power on Tuesday in a ceremony attended by other African leaders such as Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Malawi’s leader Lazarus Chakwera, reported Africa News.
The inauguration ceremony took place at Lusaka’s Heroes Stadium, which was packed with supporters of the leader of the United Party of National Development (UPND). The country’s second female Vice President Mutale Nalumango was also sworn in during the ceremony.
“I swear to faithfully and diligently fulfill my duties,” he said addressing the crowd while holding a bible.
On his sixth bid for the presidency, the 59 years old Hichilema was elected as the new Zambian president on August 12 with a very high turnout and a lead of nearly one million votes over the incumbent Edgar Lungu. Voter turnout in the recently held election was nearly 71 percent.
Notably, Hichilema had lost to Lungu in both 2016 polls and a 2015 snap election. The public support for him grew more and more in each of those polls and he lost by just 100,000 votes in the 2016 polls.
Hichilema becomes Zambia’s seventh president. Zambia has become the second country in southern Africa in recent years to transfer its presidency to an opposition candidate.
Hichilema’s top priority will now be to bring back the battered Zambian economy into the track. The country is marred by high debt, high inflation, and widespread corruption.
The COVID-19 pandemic also took a toll on hurt Zambia’s already stuttering economy even further. Lockdown restrictions and measures pushed Zambia into its first recession since 1998 and the economy contracted by 1.2%, according to the World Bank.
“We will grow our economy so we can lift more people out of poverty than ever before,” Hichilema said in his first speech as president.
He said the new Zambian government will make sure that the people get three decent meals a day.
