Zambia holds its eighth general election, with President Hakainde Hichilema leading a unified opposition coalition, in a country key to the global energy transition due to its copper reserves. A total of 8.7 million Zambian voters are eligible to cast their ballots at 13,500 polling stations across the country. The population must elect its next head of state for a five-year term, as well as the composition of the National Assembly (unicameral Parliament) and municipal governments, in the eighth general elections since the return to a multi-party system. On one side, Hichilema is running for the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND), backed by some fifteen other parties. Observation missions from the European Union, the African Union, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will monitor the elections.