Zambia President Hichilema has been reelected for a second term

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema was reelected for a second five-year term, according to the Electoral Commission of Zambia. The commission announced Tuesday that Hichilema secured 61.4% of the 5 million votes cast, winning with 2,965,326 votes. Opposition leader Brian Mundubile came in second with 1,856,217 votes. The commission chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis declared Hichilema the president-elect on August 18th, 2026.

Hichilema's victory came after a closely watched election that saw vote counting suspended last Friday and then restarted under heightened security. This was due to attacks against some polling station officials and stolen ballot papers. The government also confirmed that several opposition figures were arrested the night of the election, accusing them of posing a threat to state security. Mundubile claimed his home was raided by the police, calling it an attack on his life.

The election was viewed as a test of Hichilema's economic recovery plan following a debt crisis in 2020. Hichilema, who was first elected in 2021, oversaw the restructuring of Zambia's sovereign debt, while also managing to control inflation and stabilize the currency. International observers, including the European Union, noted the election was largely peaceful, but they pointed out that the broader electoral process took place in an environment that limited fundamental freedoms.

The EU cited late legal changes, legal uncertainty, and unequal campaign conditions as factors that distorted the playing field.

The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed concern over the deployment of the army during the vote counting, stating that the maintenance of order during elections is the responsibility of the Zambia Police Service.