Zambia to hold election on August 11

Zambia will hold its presidential and parliamentary elections on August 11, 2016. The date is specified in the country’s new constitution which is due for ratification by the President.

In a ceremony Tuesday, President Edgar Lungu is expected to approve a constitutional amendment ratifying the election date and requiring the winner of the presidential race to have more than 50 percent of the vote. Legislative elections will also be held simultaneously.

The elections will see the opposition United Party for National Development, led by Hakainde Hichilema, go head to head with the ruling Patriotic Front party. The struggling economy is likely to be a major campaign issue as the nation’s copper industry has suffered, partly because of electricity shortages.

Lungu's predecessor, Michael Sata, died in 2014. Lungu was elected in January 2015 to serve out Sata's term until this year.