Hakainde Hichilema shakes up State House to eclipse ancien régime

摘要

Outside of Zambia the new president is trying to come across as a reformer who will extricate thecountry from its massive debts. To do so, he is counting on both his cabinet and a State House madeup of political companions and close acquaintances where, three months after the election, thepower balance is still shifting. Since arriving in power in August, Hakainde Hichilema,dubbed "HH", has presented himself as a president willingto fight to get the country back on its feet. The son ofpoor cattle farmers, he went into business beforebecoming a liberal politician and later head of the UnitedParty for National Development (UPND) in 2006. Thenew president was highly critical of the Patriotic Front'shandling of state affairs over the past ten years, arguingthat his predecessor Edgar Lungu's five-year rule sawpolitical opposition silenced, external debt amass to over€11bn and the departure of two mining giants, Glencoreand Vedanta.