Eastern voters hailed

Eastern Province United Party for National Development (UPND) Youth Chairperson Lyson Nyirenda has commended the people of Eastern Province for their contribution to the re-election of President Hakainde Hichilema. Mr Nyirenda said President Hichilema had secured votes across all…

Eastern Province United Party for National Development (UPND) Youth Chairperson Lyson Nyirenda has commended the people of Eastern Province for their contribution to the re-election of President Hakainde Hichilema.

Mr Nyirenda said President Hichilema had secured votes across all constituencies in the province, describing the development as a demonstration of the UPND’s growing popularity, including in areas previously considered opposition strongholds.

 Mr Nyirenda was speaking after President Hichilema was declared President-elect after securing 2,967,326 votes, beating National Reconciliation, Progress, Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) candidate Brian Mundubile, who polled 1,856,217 votes.

He said the UPND had made significant inroads in Eastern Province by increasing its number of Members of Parliament from two in the 2021 General Election to seven in the 2026 General Election.

Mr Nyirenda has since urged the people of Eastern Province to remain united and ensure that peace and development prevail, noting that there can be no meaningful development where there is confusion.

He also encouraged UPND members to extend an olive branch to the opposition and desist from provoking or mocking those who did not win the election.

Mr Nyirenda said the UPND remains committed to championing the rule of law and urged its members not to use being in power as an excuse to break the law.

“I want to encourage members of the UPND to refrain from violence and embrace those that have lost so that we can develop together,” he said.

Meanwhile, scores of Chipata residents took to the streets to celebrate the re-election of President Hichilema as the eighth Republican President.

One of the residents, Taonga Mwanza, expressed happiness that President Hichilema had won the presidential election, alongside her preferred candidates in the National Assembly and local government elections.

Ms Mwanza attributed the UPND’s victory in the 2026 General Election to what she described as progressive government policies whose impact is visible across the country.

She said citizens had appreciated President Hichilema’s expansion of Social Cash Transfer payouts, enhanced the Constituency Development Fund allocation from 1.6 million Kwacha to the current 40 million Kwacha, and the implementation of the Cash for Work programme.

Ms Mwanza added that the country was now peaceful due to the UPND government’s strong stance on the rule of law, while the free education policy and school feeding programme had enabled more children to access education.

She expressed optimism that development would continue to be equitably distributed across the country, regardless of disparities in voting patterns