Orange Democratic Movement party leader Rt Hon. Raila Odinga today Monday, August 23, 2021, arrived in Lusaka, Zambia this afternoon ahead of tomorrow’s inauguration of President-Elect Hakainde Hichilema.
The former prime minister while taking to his official Facebook page said It will be a great day for the people of Zambia and Africa as a whole to witness a seamless transfer of power as envisaged democratic process.
The Zambian President-elect after having contested five previous elections in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015, and 2016, won the 2021 presidential election with over 59% of the vote. He has led the United Party for National Development since 2006.
Before his election, Hichilema was a major opponent of Edgar Lungu, the President of Zambia from 2015 to 2021. On 11 April 2017, Hichilema was arrested and charged with treason, a move that was seen as an illegitimate act by Lungu to silence a political rival. The arrest and charge were widely condemned, with protests held in Zambia and abroad, demanding Hichilema’s release and condemning the increasing authoritarianism of Lungu’s regime. Hichilema was released from prison on 16 August 2017.
