Zambia’s incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema has taken an early lead in the general election, winning nearly 59 percent of counted votes after more than half of the country’s constituencies reported results, according to the electoral commission. His closest challenger, Brian Mundubile of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity, had about one-third.
The result puts Hichilema on course for a possible first-round victory, but the count is unfolding alongside opposition claims that armed personnel raided Mundubile’s Lusaka home and concerns from international observers that the campaign was unfairly tilted toward the incumbent.
What the preliminary count shows
A candidate needs more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a run-off. The electoral commission is expected to announce final results within days, so the current figures do not represent a final result.
Hichilema’s governing United Party for National Development has accused the opposition of exaggerating irregularities to undermine a legitimate result. Mundubile’s NRPUP is contesting the election as part of the Tonse-Pamodzi alliance.
Related coverage: Zambians weigh Hichilema’s reforms in August 13 election.
Why the tally has faced scrutiny
Vote tallying was suspended for about six hours after reports of violence against polling staff and allegations that marked ballots had been stolen. The European Union observer mission described the pause as “disproportionate”, saying only a small fraction of polling stations had been affected. The electoral commission said the threat to the count was under control.
A 57-year-old polling agent was killed near Lusaka on election day, and police arrested nine suspects. The EU mission also said its observers witnessed a person being seized by armed personnel on the morning of August 10.
Opposition alleges raid at candidate’s home
The NRPUP said armed personnel it believed were members of the Zambian army entered Mundubile’s Lusaka home on Friday night, fired live ammunition, wounded a member of parliament and forcibly removed several people whose whereabouts the party said were unconfirmed. Mundubile urged supporters not to retaliate and called for urgent regional and international engagement.
More context: How Edgar Lungu’s death still shadows Zambia’s election.
Zambian authorities had not responded to the allegation at the time of the source report. In preliminary findings released on Saturday, the EU monitoring mission described the election as competitive but skewed toward Hichilema, citing heavy bias in state-media coverage and a blurring of government business with campaigning.
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