Zambia’s Hichilema leads presidential vote count
Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema was well ahead in counting for national elections on Sunday with nearly half the constituencies declared, the electoral commission said. Hichilema had 54.82% or 1,056,812 of the declared votes, figures showed, putting him on track for re-election without a second-round runoff if he keeps the overall majority. His main challenger, Brian [...] The post Zambia’s…
Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema leads the presidential vote count, according to the country's electoral commission. Nearly half of the constituencies have been declared, with Hichilema securing 54.82% of the declared votes, equating to 1,056,812 votes. This strong performance puts him on track for re-election in a second term, should he maintain his overall majority.
His principal opponent, Brian Mundubile, is in second place with 43% of the declared votes, or 830,841 votes. As of around 1500 GMT, 105 out of the 226 constituencies had reported their results. The presidential election, which took place alongside parliamentary and local elections on Thursday, serves as a gauge for whether Hichilema's economic progress since navigating a pandemic-induced debt crisis is sufficient to secure him a second term.
In Africa's second-largest copper-producing nation, this election is seen as a crucial test. The Electoral Commission of Zambia briefly halted vote counting on Friday, citing violence against officials and the theft of ballot papers. However, Zambia's police have refuted an opposition claim that their leader, Mundubile, was arrested and detained.
Should no presidential candidate receive at least 50% of the votes, a second-round vote will be held within 37 days of the initial poll.
Written by urgent.news from KahawaTungu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
