Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema has won re-election with around 60 percent of votes cast in the August 13 election, the Electoral Commission of Zambia announced on Tuesday.
Hichilema, who has been in power since 2021, defeated a field of 13 challengers. His main rival, former provincial minister Brian Mundubile, 55, who entered the race in May, secured nearly 38 percent of the vote, according to ECZ chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis. Results from 5 of the 226 constituencies were still outstanding, but the commission said they would not change the overall outcome.
The election was marred by controversy. Opposition parties alleged fraud and cited an unprecedented nationwide suspension of vote tallying following attacks on election staff and the theft of marked ballot papers.
Ahead of the poll, opposition groups and observers warned of a shrinking political space and restrictions on campaigning, saying it created an uneven playing field.
Tensions rose after the vote when authorities arrested nearly a dozen people, including senior opposition figures, during a raid that involved gunfire. The government said they were linked to militia activity, but Mundubile’s NRPUP party denied the claims.
The vote was widely viewed as a referendum on Hichilema’s first term, during which Zambia’s economy returned to growth after years of fiscal distress.
