The Editor Zambia
As Zambia edges closer to the August 13 general elections, campaign rallies have become one of the most visible indicators of political momentum.
Across the country, both the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) and the opposition Tonse Alliance/ NRPUP have attracted sizeable crowds, each claiming to have captured the imagination of the electorate. 
The Tonse Alliance/ NRPUP, under the leadership of Brian Mundubile, has held rallies mainly in its supposedly strong holds.
Like any major opposition formation seeking to unseat an incumbent government, the NRPUP has sought to project confidence at its campaign meetings and captured media headlines.
However, the NRPUP’s initial claim of attracting big crowds was hugely dwarfed by President Hichilema’s gigantic public rallies held in the Copperbelt, Western, North-Western. Eastern and Lusaka Provinces.
President Hichilema’s campaign meetings quenched initial public speculations that the political tide may have shifted to the opposition, especially in Copperbelt, Eastern, and the Chambeshi Provinces.
The unfolding campaign tells a more nuanced story. Wherever Tonse Alliance has held rallies, President Hakainde Hichilema has frequently followed with much larger campaign rallies that have attracted even larger crowds.
In districts where the opposition plans to campaign, the President has similarly drawn mammoth numbers of supporters.
These scenes challenge the hasty conclusions advanced by some commentators that the incumbent has become deeply unpopular or is destined for electoral defeat.
Large campaign audiences, while not votes in themselves, remain an important measure of enthusiasm and public engagement.
If rally attendance is to be used as an indicator of electoral strength, then the evidence from the campaign trail suggests that President Hichilema continues to command massive grassroots support across many parts of the country.
The reasons behind these large gatherings also deserve attention.
Many of those attending President Hichilema’s rallies are responding not merely to campaign rhetoric being advanced by demagogues like Brian Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu but to policies and programmes they have experienced over the past five years.
For the UPND, these include Constituency Development Fund (CDF) projects which have become highly visible in communities, financing classroom blocks, health posts, bridges, water schemes, youth empowerment initiatives and skills development programmes.
The introduction of free education has also enabled thousands of children who had dropped out because of school fees to return to class. Families that once struggled to keep their children in school now point to education as one of the administration’s most tangible achievements.
In agriculture, government support through Fertiliser Input Support Programme (FISP) distribution, improved market interventions, and favourable harvests have restored optimism among many farming households.
Zambia’s strong maize production has reinforced confidence that the country is moving towards greater food security while creating opportunities for increased exports.
The health sector has also undergone noticeable expansion through the recruitment of thousands of health workers, construction and upgrading of health facilities, and efforts to improve access to medicines and essential services.
For many communities, these developments are not abstract promises but visible changes affecting their daily lives.
These are among the issues President Hichilema repeatedly highlights during his campaign meetings, and they have already resonated with audiences who have witnessed improvements within their own constituencies.
Even before the campaign enters its decisive phase, it is clear that President Hichilema’s message and his enviable record in governance are solid for Zambians to give him another term in office.
This decision will largely centre on continuity and visible ongoing investments in education, health, agriculture, infrastructure, and local development.
These and the energy displayed by President Hakainde Hichilema at campaign rallies is an indication of voter sentiment that shows that the UPND is entering the final stretch of the race with considerable momentum.
While only the ballot box can determine the ultimate outcome on August 13, the scale of public mobilisation witnessed at President Hichilema’s meetings is evidence enough that predictions of his political demise may have been premature.
The campaign trail is painting a picture of an incumbent who continues to connect with large sections of the electorate, not only through speeches but through policies that many supporters believe have produced visible results.
With only a few days to go before Zambians cast their vote, it is this momentum that is clearly evident that President Hakainde Hichilema is securing another term in office.
