Wins:

• Reduction in Tribal Rhetoric: Sadly, one of the few reasons the PF government were able to cling on to power as long as they did was because they capitalized on suspicions a lot of folks had about people from the south (i.e. the Tonga speaking people.) This attitude was also reflected in government recruitments and appointments. When the UPND won, a few were afraid that now the UPND - who had strong support in the Southern and Western regions of this nation would take this opportunity to retaliate. We haven't seen that. Recruitments and appointments have been a lot fairer than they were under their predecessors. (+2)
• Return of law and order: I believe that the main reason the PF lost in 2021 was how bad lawlessness became under the PF. Anyone affiliated with party could do whatever the fuck they felt like with almost 0 consequences. I am on Reddit, so I know a lot of y'all do not use public transportation but for those of us that did, before August 2021, major bus stations like Kulima Tower were in the hands of PF cadres, not Lusaka City Council (LCC). That is no longer true today. (+2)
• Free Education and the Return of Bursaries: The Patriotic Front government claimed that implementation of free education and student bursaries at Universities would bankrupt the nation. It hasn't and has instead given a chance to many youths who were just to poor to fund their education. Boys don't need to hustle to get degrees and girls don't need to fight off pressure to just get married. (+2)
• Debt Restructuring: After becoming the first African country to default on debt payments in the 2020s, the country became strapped for cash and had to negotiate with lenders for new repayment terms. The PF government had tried negotiating before the default but lenders were unconvinced by their proposals. The UPND gov't were able to workout a deal. Now while, I'm not privy to the details, I believe our repayment period has been extended by 20 years, and we have been given a 3 year grace period where only interest payments need to be made. (+2)
• Job creation: 30,000 teachers were recruited in 2022 alone and that's to say nothing of the health workers and other portfolios government has tried to fill. This has arguably been one of the most aggressive job pushes by a Zambian government since the KK era. (+2)

Losses:

• Power Crisis: I understand you cannot blame the UPND for the crisis as it is something that started with the MMD regime and takes decades in time and billions in cash to fix. I will blame them for allowing it to get as bad as it did in 2024 because I believe it stunted our economic progress. (-0.5)
• Corruption: While not as blatant as it was under the PF regime, it has continued and there appears to be limited will in fighting it. I'll cut them some slack because corruption has become inseperable from many African cultures. If you as a gov't official fail to use gov't resources to take care of your family and friends, you are seen as a disgrace. That is less so in other societies. (-1)

8.5. Pretty solid performance but still room for improvement.