Zambia’s Electoral Commission released its first official presidential election results Friday evening, showing incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema leading with 22,476 votes against opposition challenger Brian Mundubile’s 14,388 from four of the country’s 226 constituencies.
The count resumed Friday evening after a 12-hour interruption that the commission said followed consultations with law enforcement and a review of security conditions. The delay raised tensions in a closely watched election that is being treated as a referendum on Hichilema’s economic record since taking office in 2021.
Early Results Show Split Outcome
Of the four constituencies reported, Hichilema won three convincingly. He took Chisamba with 6,568 votes to Mundubile’s 3,180, Kundabwika with 4,160 to 3,180, and Dongwe with a dominant 6,848 to just 143. Mundubile claimed one constituency, winning Feira in Luangwa district with 7,885 votes against Hichilema’s 4,900.
The results represent less than 2 percent of constituencies, but early tallies are consistent with pre-election polling that had Hichilema as the clear frontrunner. A survey by the Zambia Election Research Network conducted late last year found 55 percent of respondents planned to vote for Hichilema.
Mundubile Claims Victory Without Evidence
The commission’s chairperson, Mwangala Zaloumis, urged all candidates to refrain from declaring themselves winners, noting that doing so is an offence under Zambian electoral law. Her warning followed Mundubile’s claim of a first-round presidential win and parliamentary majority based on his party’s own tabulation, which wire agencies noted was made without supporting evidence.
The race is essentially a two-horse contest between Hichilema and Mundubile, who leads the opposition Patriotic Front. Fourteen other candidates are also vying for the presidency but are not considered competitive.
Economic Record Under Scrutiny
The election is shaping up as a judgment on Hichilema’s first term, which has been defined by efforts to stabilize Zambia’s economy after a sovereign debt default. His administration expanded free education, pursued fiscal tightening, and worked to restore investor confidence. Supporters credit him with putting the country on a recovery path, while critics argue the reforms have been too slow to deliver tangible benefits for ordinary Zambians.
Zambia has a strong record of peaceful transfers of power through the ballot box. Every change of president since the return to multiparty politics in 1991 has been achieved through elections, a tradition that authorities are keen to preserve as counting continues.
Results were originally expected by Monday, but the 12-hour interruption to Friday’s count has cast uncertainty over the timeline. With a presidential candidate needing more than half the vote to avoid a runoff, the outcome could hinge on results from Zambia’s larger urban constituencies yet to be tallied.
Sources: Rio Times Africa Intelligence Brief; Reuters via CNBC Africa; Polymarket; The Citizen
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