Zambia Says President Won Re-election After Tumultuous Campaign

With a second term, Hakainde Hichilema must navigate relations with the Trump administration, which has sought greater access to the copper-rich nation’s natural resources. Rabecca Lungu reported from Lusaka, Zambia Zambia’s president, Hakainde Hichilema, was declared the winner of a second term early Tuesday morning, after a tumultuous campaign in which he shrugged off accusations of repression and touted his efforts to reinvigorate the nation’s all-important mining sector. Hichilema won 60 percent of the vote, according to the Electoral Commission of Zambia. Rich in copper and other critical minerals, Zambia, a landlocked country in southern Africa, has been at the center of a geopolitical contest, as the Trump administration attempts to unlock greater American access to the country’s natural resources, which Chinese businesses currently dominate. Zambia has sought for months to strike a deal to receive health assistance from the United States, and the two countries have yet to publicly announce an agreement.

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