UPND STILL HOLDS ADVANTAGE DESPITE GROWING CAMPAIGN PRESSURE
The UPND continues entering the August 13 general election with major political and structural advantages despite rising opposition pressure and increasingly charged campaign rhetoric across the country.
Former finance minister Dr Katele Kalumba believes President Hakainde Hichilema remains ahead, pointing to the strengths that come with incumbency, visibility and government-backed development messaging.
The ruling party continues building its campaign around debt restructuring progress, mining investment, infrastructure development and economic recovery efforts taking shape in different parts of the country.
Government officials believe those programmes will carry significant political weight once campaigns move into full intensity.
Opposition groups have recently attempted to generate momentum around issues involving detentions, nomination tensions and campaign confrontations. The detention of PF faction secretary general Raphael Nakacinda has become one of the opposition’s latest mobilisation points after Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu were denied access to Lusaka Central Correctional Facility during Africa Freedom Day commemorations.
But government-aligned figures continue resisting efforts to shift the campaign toward confrontation politics.
Instead, the UPND remains focused on stability, development delivery and economic management as its primary election message.
The ruling party also continues benefiting from divisions within opposition alliances. Coalition disputes, court cases and unresolved leadership tensions have weakened attempts to create a fully united anti-UPND front ahead of the polls.
Even with growing political pressure and economic frustrations inside households, the UPND still appears to hold the organisational depth and national reach needed to remain politically competitive across most constituencies.
The coming weeks will determine whether opposition alliances can convert public frustrations into disciplined electoral pressure capable of threatening the ruling party’s advantage.
For now, the UPND still enters the decisive phase of the election race from a position of strength.