President on course for second term as counting continues
President Hakainde Hichilema has taken a strong early lead in Zambia’s presidential election, winning nearly 59% of votes counted across 135 of the country’s 226 constituencies.
Electoral authorities said Hichilema had secured 1,544,140 votes, putting him well ahead of his closest challenger, Brian Mundubile, who had 1,030,662 votes.
Runoff threshold
Hichilema’s current total puts him on course for a second-term victory. A candidate must secure more than 50% of valid votes to win outright.
If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two contenders will face a runoff.
Counting disrupted
The election was largely peaceful, but counting was temporarily suspended for about six hours after reports of attacks on polling staff and the alleged theft of marked ballot papers.
Police said a 57-year-old polling agent died after being attacked outside Lusaka. Nine people were arrested over the incident.
Regional and European observers have urged political parties to avoid inflammatory statements while the final results are being compiled.
Opposition raises concerns
Mundubile claimed victory shortly after voting and said his party had won a parliamentary majority, although the official presidential count currently places him behind Hichilema.
The EU election observation mission raised concerns about restrictions on political activity, describing the election environment as an “uneven playing field”.
The SADC observer mission also said the suspension of counting had created uncertainty among voters and political parties.
Economy at stake
The election is also a test of Hichilema’s economic record after his first term saw Zambia return to growth and secure a major restructuring of its debt.
However, critics say many Zambians have yet to feel the benefits, with more than 70% of the population living on less than $3 a day, according to the World Bank.
Final presidential results are expected on Monday.
