RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Zambians are voting in an election to choose a president and parliament, with more than eight million voters registered to cast their ballots.
Polls opened at 06:00 local time (04:00 GMT) and are due to close at 1800.
The vote is seen as a test of Zambia's reputation as one of Africa's most stable democracies, amid concerns that political freedoms are being undermined. Unemployment and the rising cost of living remain major issues for voters.
President Hakainde Hichilema is seeking a second term after steering Zambia through an economic rebound. But many complain that living costs remain high.
Fourteen candidates are on the ballot, but the contest is largely seen as a two-horse race between the incumbent and his main challenger Brian Mundubile.
Mundubile is a former minister in the Patriotic Front (PF) government that ruled from 2011 to 2021, with his alliance drawing support from backers of the late former President, Edgar Lungu.
Lungu died more than a year ago and his body remains unburied in South Africa, amid a bitter dispute between Lungu's family and Hichilema, which has heightened political divisions in Zambia.
Hichilema, 64, won the 2021 election on his sixth attempt and is betting on job creation and an ambitious infrastructure drive to secure a final five-year term.
Mwiche Nalupumbwe, 26, was among hundreds who braved the morning chill to queue at polling stations well before they opened.
"Zambians are frustrated and this election is a 50-50, that is why we are all here early to make the change," he told the AFP news agency.
"I voted for HH because he cares about us," James Phiri, a 29-year-old student at the University of Zambia, told the Reuters news agency, using a common nickname for the president.
"Things are better after he re-introduced meal allowances," he said.
Samuel Chitendwe, a 47-year-old welder and father of four, said he voted for Mundubile.
"I have just come from firing someone. We are tired of stories about economic progress," he told Reuters.
A presidential candidate needs more than 50% to win outright or face a run-off, which must be held within 37 days.
A burial row over Zambia's late president has turned its election into a hot contest
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