As the countdown to August 13 gathers pace, one reality is becoming increasingly difficult to deny even for his harshest critics: President Hakainde Hichilema is getting stronger, not weaker. Mingalato or no mingalato, political scheming or loud opposition rhetoric, the balance of power ahead of the 2026 general elections is tilting decisively in favour of the UPND and its leader.
Politics, everywhere in the world, is about strategy. In Zambia, that strategy has a name many now love to hate: mingalato. Minister of Information and Media Cornelius Mweetwa has been refreshingly candid about it, stating openly that mingalato will be in high gear as elections approach and stressing, correctly, that mingalato has nothing to do with rigging. It is about organisation, messaging, mobilisation, and outmanoeuvring your opponents politically. In short, it is about being better prepared. And on that score, the UPND is leagues ahead. 
What truly underpins President Hichilema’s growing strength is not clever scheming but performance. For ordinary Zambians, politics is no longer just about rallies and slogans; it is about lived experience. In homes across the country, ZESCO power supply has improved, with increased hours of electricity bringing relief to families, small businesses, and students. This is not abstract economics. It is light in the home, power for a fridge, the ability to run a small workshop, or study at night.
At the market, the story is the same. Prices of essential commodities have begun to come down. Mealie meal, sugar, cooking oil, and bread are no longer rising relentlessly. The Zambia Association of Manufacturers has confirmed that over 30 companies have reduced prices in response to government policy and the appreciation of the kwacha. Mealie meal dropping from K300 to K260, cooking oil reduced by 15 percent, bread and sugar following suit, these are tangible gains. Add to this the reduction in fuel prices and the strengthening of the Kwacha, and a clear pattern emerges: macroeconomic stability is finally translating into relief for the ordinary person.
This is why the UPND sits comfortably in power today. It is anchored not just in political arithmetic but in policy outcomes that people can feel. President Hichilema no longer campaigns on promises alone; he campaigns on record. And records are stubborn things.
Contrast this with the opposition landscape, which, by its own admission, is riddled with confusion, fragmentation, and uncertainty. Within the Tonse Alliance, senior figures are publicly disagreeing over who belongs and who does not. Chris Zumani Zimba advising the Given Lubinda-led Patriotic Front to form a new party if it wants to join the alliance is not a sign of cohesion; it is an admission of dysfunction. Threats of “physical” confrontation within opposition factions only deepen the impression of disarray.
The Patriotic Front (PF) itself is preparing to contest elections under a different name due to legal constraints. While Given Lubinda insists the party remains intact, the reality is stark: a former ruling party, once confident and dominant, is now forced to rebrand simply to remain on the ballot. That is not the posture of a party on the rise. It is the posture of a party struggling to find firm ground.
Even opposition political intellectuals are pouring cold water on their own prospects. Prince Akashambatwa Mbikusita Lewanika has openly stated that no presidential candidate has enough money to win an election in Zambia’s current environment and has questioned narratives around wealth and political power. Yet this critique unintentionally strengthens President Hichilema’s position. As Mweetwa has made clear, President Hichilema will fund his 2026 campaign using local resources. This is not about foreign wallets or shadowy financiers; it is about a party that has built structures, membership and domestic support capable of sustaining a national campaign.
The old opposition political argument that ruling parties only appear strong because they control state power rings hollow when the same opposition cannot even agree on a name, an alliance framework, or a single presidential candidate. Power exposes weaknesses as much as it reveals strength. In this case, it is the opposition’s weaknesses that are being laid bare.
Mingalato, then, becomes a convenient distraction. It is easier to complain about political scheming than to confront political reality. The reality is that President Hichilema has stabilised the economy, restored international credibility, improved power supply, and overseen reductions in the cost of living. These achievements blunt opposition attacks far more effectively than any clever strategy ever could.
As August 13 approaches, Zambians will weigh performance against promises, cohesion against confusion, and delivery against drama. On that scale, the UPND enters the race with confidence, while the opposition enters with excuses. Mingalato or no mingalato, one thing is clear: President Hakainde Hichilema is not merely surviving the political moment. He is consolidating it. And that is why, with each passing day, he looks stronger than ever.
