Zambia Election Marred by Violence: Hichilema Leads With 52.6% in Partial Count
Key Points
- Vote counting was suspended on Friday following reports of violence against polling staff and alleged theft of ballot papers in Zambia's August 14 presidential election.
- International observers from the European Union and SADC received reports of intimidation, assault, abduction and property damage across five provinces, with at least one fatality reported.
- In partial official results released late Saturday, President Hakainde Hichilema led with 438,708 votes (52.6 percent), while opposition candidate Brian Mundubile received 351,281 votes (42.1 percent).
Samuel Tembenu, a former Malawian justice minister leading the Southern African Development Community (SADC) observer mission, said his team received reports of intimidation, assault, abduction and property damage across five provinces, with some submissions alleging injuries and at least one fatality. Tembenu stated his mission "was not in a position to observe the counting and collection of results during the period of suspension" and urged all contestants and stakeholders to remain calm.
Michael McNamara, chief observer of the European Union's mission, said voting unfolded against "a backdrop of constrained democratic space," citing incumbent advantages and heavily biased state media coverage. Reinhold Lopatka, who led the European Parliament's observer delegation, said the pause appeared "disproportionate" given that only a small fraction of Zambia's more than 13,000 polling stations had reportedly been affected. Lopatka reported that opposition figures faced intimidation including from security forces, some candidates withdrew under pressure, and opposition rallies were broken up by violence.
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Zambian police said nine people had been arrested over the killing of a 57-year-old polling agent in a township outside Lusaka on election day, while maintaining that voting had otherwise passed off peacefully. Mundubile claimed victory based on his party's parallel vote count and alleged irregularities including claims that military personnel took control of tallying centres in Mufulira and that result forms went missing.
Partial official results released late Saturday evening showed Hichilema leading with 438,708 votes representing 52.6 percent of the partial count, followed by Mundubile with 351,281 votes representing 42.1 percent. Hichilema stopped short of declaring victory, saying only that his campaign was seeing "encouraging" results as official counting continued. Mark Simuuwe, campaign media director for Hichilema, told Al Jazeera that the opposition was "panicking" and accused Mundubile's party of "disruption," while his UPND rivals rejected allegations of result manipulation.
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This marks the second consecutive election cycle in Southern Africa where international observers documented constraints on democratic space alongside reported violence, following similar concerns raised during recent elections in the region.
What Happens Next
The Electoral Commission of Zambia will likely complete official vote counting within days, potentially confirming Hichilema's lead from the partial results. Opposition legal challenges and observer mission final reports could follow within weeks, determining whether the election result faces international credibility questions or domestic court contestation.
Sources: Al Jazeera and other international news outlets.
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