Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema won the election with about 60% of the vote
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema won the presidential election on August 13, securing about 60% of the vote. The Zambian Electoral Commission announced this on August 18, according to Euronews.
Hichilema, who has served as president since 2021, was running for a second term. Former provincial minister Brian Mundubile, who led a group of 13 challengers to the incumbent head of state, won nearly 38% of the vote. Mundubile, 55, joined the campaign in May and was running for president for the first time.
Zambia’s Electoral Commission Chair Mwangala Zalumis stated that, at the time the results were announced, votes had not yet been counted in five of the 226 electoral districts. According to her, these results were unlikely to significantly affect the overall outcome of the election.
Voting in the copper-rich southern African country took place amid allegations of fraud by the opposition. Vote counting across the country was suspended—an unprecedented move—following attacks on election officials and the theft of marked ballots.
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Before the election, opposition parties and civil society groups claimed that political space had been restricted, particularly due to limitations on campaigning. International and local observer missions noted that these conditions created an uneven playing field for the candidates.
After the voting, authorities detained nearly a dozen people, including high-ranking opposition officials, during a raid that resulted in an exchange of gunfire. The government stated that those detained were linked to paramilitary or insurgent activities surrounding the election. Mundubile’s party, the NRPUP, denied these allegations.
The election was seen as a referendum on Hichilema’s first presidential term, during which Zambia’s economy returned to growth after a period of financial difficulties.
