Unit of Purpose
By Francis Maingaila
Lusaka, Zambia, 20-08-2026 — Political parties in the UPND Alliance have assured Zambians that President Hakainde Hichilema will use his second term to deliver tangible economic gains to ordinary citizens, while calling on the people to put aside political differences and unite behind the country's development agenda.
The Alliance partners, who spoke after the August 13 general elections, said the end of the election campaign should mark the beginning of a new phase in which political parties and citizens concentrate on national development, economic opportunities and the welfare of ordinary Zambians.
UPND Alliance chairperson Charles Milupi challenged the private sector to ensure Zambia's economic growth translates into better jobs, improved wages and greater opportunities for citizens, rather than benefiting businesses alone.
Milupi said companies in mining, tourism, commerce and infrastructure should employ more Zambians and treat workers fairly, arguing that the success of businesses should also be reflected in the lives of the people who drive economic activity.
"You cannot succeed in any economy anywhere in the world if your workers are not being looked after," he said.
Milupi also urged Zambians to take a more active role in business ownership rather than leaving major opportunities to foreign investors.
He argued that lack of large amounts of personal capital should not discourage citizens from pursuing viable business opportunities, saying what was important was to develop sound projects supported by proper feasibility studies.
His message places responsibility for economic transformation not only on government, but also on businesses and citizens, with the private sector expected to create opportunities while Zambians take a greater stake in the economy.
Milupi congratulated MPs elected across party lines and said opposition and independent legislators had a role to play in ensuring smooth governance.
He said the election should therefore not be viewed as the end of political participation, but as the beginning of a period in which elected leaders across the political divide must contribute to the running of the country.
Patriotic Front (PF) president Miles Sampa said the election result had sent a strong message against tribal politics, noting that President Hichilema won across all 10 provinces.
"What I pick from the victory of President H is that Zambians have said no to tribalism. They have said whoever is the best at the time, they will give him the vote," Sampa said.
Sampa said the nationwide result demonstrated that voters were prepared to support a candidate based on their assessment of leadership rather than allowing tribal or regional considerations to determine their choices.
He praised the UPND Alliance for running a disciplined and coordinated campaign, contrasting it with the chaos he had witnessed in previous political alliances.
But beyond congratulating the winning side, Sampa said the election had created a new responsibility for government to ensure that economic gains were felt by households.
He said the next challenge for the administration was to ensure the country's economic gains reached ordinary households through lower living costs.
Sampa also urged politicians who lost the election not to treat defeat as the end of their political careers, reminding them that political competition was part of the democratic process.
Party of National Unity and Progress (PNUP) president Highvie Hamududu said the UPND Alliance had expanded its parliamentary representation from eight provinces in 2021 to all 10 this year, including gains in Muchinga and Luapula.
Hamududu said the wider parliamentary reach demonstrated that the Alliance had strengthened its support base since the 2021 election.
He pointed to strengthening economic indicators — including a stronger currency, falling inflation and rising reserves — as a foundation for what he called an "economic take-off" during Hichilema's second term.
"These five years are exciting for every Zambian in terms of improving the welfare of our people. The numbers don't lie," he said.
For Hamududu, the economic figures provide a foundation, but the real test in the second term will be whether those improvements translate into better living conditions for citizens.
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) president Felix Mutati said the victory gives the President's team an opportunity to consolidate the country's economic recovery and strengthen government institutions.
Mutati said the second mandate should be used to deepen reforms rather than simply celebrate the electoral victory.
He said reforms must be shown to improve ordinary Zambians' daily lives, and he challenged the media to keep holding government accountable to the promises made during the campaign.
The call for accountability provides another dimension to the Alliance partners' message, with support for the administration not being presented as a substitute for scrutiny of its performance.
National Democratic Congress (NDC) secretary general Kennedy Siyanda, whose party backed Hichilema's re-election bid, urged Zambians to use social media responsibly, warning it could easily be used to spread misleading information.
Siyanda said the period after the election required citizens to be particularly careful about information circulating online, especially as political tensions could easily be fuelled by false or misleading claims.
He pointed to government programmes such as free education and social cash transfers as policies voters could relate to, and cited plans to expand electricity generation and agricultural production.
He described the next term as an opportunity for citizens to position themselves within the country's development agenda.
National Progressive Alliance (NPA) president Grandson Sakala congratulated Hichilema, calling his re-election a choice for development and national unity.
Sakala said the election had demonstrated the importance of responsible participation by political parties, citizens and the media.
He also commended the media for professional conduct during the election while urging journalists to verify information before publishing it.
National Restoration Party (NAREP) president Ezra Ngulube said Zambians had shown political maturity by maintaining peace despite the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
Ngulube's remarks placed peace at the centre of the country's post-election priorities, particularly after a campaign period in which political disagreements and competing claims were widely debated.
He thanked the media for remaining a trusted source of information during the campaign and said his party was ready to work with journalists and other stakeholders on national development.
Republican Progressive Party (RPP) president Leslie Chikuse congratulated Hichilema and the UPND Alliance, and said the next priority should be creating jobs for Zambians without Grade 12 qualifications, including in sectors such as cleaning.
Chikuse said employment creation should extend beyond highly skilled professions and include opportunities for people with lower levels of formal education.
He also called for greater investment in skills training and said he would relay the media's request for a greater role in government decision-making to party leadership and the President.
United National Independent Party (UNIP) president Henry Muyoba emphasised national unity, drawing on lessons from Zambia's independence struggle.
"You cannot be united without love. You cannot be peaceful without love," he said, urging Zambians to preserve unity beyond the election and not let political differences undermine the country's shared identity.
Muyoba's message reinforced the argument that political competition should not permanently divide citizens once the ballots have been counted and a winner declared.
United Party for Prosperous Zambia (UPPZ) president Charles Chanda said the election had revealed both positive and negative emotions among Zambians, and that the frustration expressed through the ballot should not be ignored.
"Mr President, you are not just a UPND president, you are the president for the whole Republic," he said, urging Hichilema to now focus on delivering development rather than debt restructuring.
Chanda's remarks placed an expectation on the President to broaden his focus beyond the interests of the party and supporters who backed him during the election.
He said the message coming from the electorate should be understood not only through the victory itself, but also through the concerns and frustrations that shaped voting patterns across the country.
United for Better Zambia (UBZ) president Hector Sondo called for unity now that the contest had ended, saying political differences should not distract the new administration from addressing the country's economic challenges.
Sondo said the political transition should allow the country to move beyond campaign divisions and concentrate on problems affecting citizens.
New Congress Party (NCP) president Peter Chanda described the result as a rejection of violence and political retrogression in favour of development.
He said political parties should now focus on securing economic independence for citizens, since political independence had already been won in 1964.
Peter Chanda also commended NRPUP president Brian Mundubile for conceding defeat, calling it a sign of democratic maturity.
The concession, he said, demonstrated that political leaders could accept electoral outcomes without allowing defeat to become a source of political instability.
Taken together, the Alliance partners' remarks point to a common expectation for Hichilema's second term: that the political contest must now give way to delivery.
While some leaders focused on economic growth, others stressed jobs, lower living costs, national unity, peace, responsible use of social media, media accountability and greater citizen participation in the economy.
The message to citizens was equally clear — the election is over, and political differences should not stand in the way of national development.
The leaders' remarks came as the UPND Alliance shifted its attention from campaigning to governance, with employment creation, national unity, peace and a stronger relationship between government and the media emerging as shared priorities for Hichilema's second term.
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