President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera is scheduled to travel to Lusaka, Zambia, to attend the inauguration of Hakainde Hichilema as Zambia’s sixth President.
A statement from Malawi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation says President Chakwera will leave for Lusaka, Zambia, on Tuesday to attend the inauguration of the President-Elect of the Republic of Zambia.
“More details of His Excellency the President’s trip will be announced later,” reads the statement issued a short while ago.
Hichilema who represented the United Party for National Development (UPND) in last week’s general elections beat the incumbent President Edgar Chagwa Lungu of the Patriotic Front.
Lungu has served as Africa’s leading copper-producing nation for six years. He took over from late President Michael Sata, who died in office in 2015.
In 2016, Hakainde Hichilema, or HH as he is popularly and fondly called by his supporters in Zambia was arrested and jailed for treason by the Lungu administration after he disputed the election of the latter to the presidency.
This was the sixth attempt by Hichilema to seek voters’ authorization to occupy the State House.
Lungu has grudgingly accepted defeat and has committed to ensuring a smooth transition of power in Zambia
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to Zambia to attend the Inauguration of His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema on August 24, 2021, in Lusaka, Zambia.