Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has won a second term, according to election results released Tuesday, securing a convincing victory in polls marred by opposition claims of irregularities and a raid targeting members of the opposition.
Voting in Thursday’s election in the copper-rich southern African nation was largely peaceful. But the opposition said its campaign had been undermined by intimidation and restrictions on its activities, concerns that were echoed by international observers.
Police were still holding several figures from the main opposition alliance who were arrested last week on allegations of involvement in militia or insurgent activities — claims the opposition has rejected.
The leader of the opposition NRPUP party and former government minister Brian Mundubile is “in a secure location under the protection of an international human rights body due to threats made against him,” the party told AFP.
Mundubile, 55, won around 38 percent of the vote, according to results released by the election commission early Tuesday.
Hichilema secured around 60 percent, roughly matching his performance in the 2021 election, when he won his first five-year term.
The 64-year-old president is due to be sworn in seven days after the commission publishes the official results, which are expected by August 24, provided the outcome is not challenged.
Supporters of his ruling UPND party poured onto the streets of the capital, Lusaka, after the results were announced, singing and dancing in celebration.
Hichilema said in a statement that he was “truly humbled” by the trust placed in him by voters.
“To those citizens who preferred the ideas presented by our opponents, we hear you, and we will continue to work for you,” he said.
“Now we must work harder than ever before to deliver meaningful development for every single Zambian, in every corner of our country.”
Clear favourite
Hichilema entered the election as the clear favourite after overseeing a major economic turnaround and progress in restructuring Zambia’s debt.
His government restored ties with international lenders and attracted millions of dollars in investment, particularly to the country’s lucrative copper sector.
But while inflation has eased, the benefits of the economic recovery have not been evenly distributed. More than 70 percent of Zambians live on less than $3 a day, according to World Bank data.
His first term was also marked by concerns over the country’s political space, with opposition parties and civil society groups accusing the government of restricting dissent.
International observers said the election was marred by opposition allegations of intimidation, including by security forces, as well as an uneven playing field. State-owned media coverage was heavily weighted in favour of the ruling party, they said.
Observers also criticised the election commission’s decision to suspend vote counting for around six hours on Friday following reports of violence against polling staff and the alleged theft of ballot papers.
Claims of irregularities
Mundubile’s NRPUP party on Monday rejected with “absolute disdain” government claims that supporters in police custody were involved in “any insurgency, militia activity or any related conduct whatsoever”.
Mundubile said a parliamentarian was struck when shots were fired during the raid. His condition was not immediately known.
A cabinet statement issued Sunday alleged that some of those arrested were linked to “military plans involving foreign nationals and illegal military training camps”, describing the alleged activities as a serious threat to state security.
Officials have not commented further on the case.
Mundubile also alleged on Monday that there had been irregularities in the vote count, claiming — without providing evidence — that documents recording the results had been tampered with.
Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer, has a long history of peaceful transfers of power through elections. Since the return to multiparty politics in 1991, every change of president has been achieved through the ballot box.
