Zambia's electoral commission has suspended the counting of votes from Thursday's presidential and parliamentary elections over alleged attacks on polling staff. The authority said the process would be halted with immediate effect nationwide as it expressed concern over reports of violence that had "resulted in the theft of marked ballot papers in ballot boxes". President Hakainde Hichilema is seeking a second five-year term.
Brian Mundubile is the main opposition candidate among 13 challengers . Legally the electoral commission has until the end of Sunday to announce the outcome. In Friday's statement the commission said it would review the decision to suspend vote counting within the next 24 hours.
Polling day was largely peaceful, with queues reported in many areas and only isolated delays. Along with electing a president and MPs, the more than eight million registered voters had the chance to choose a new parliament and local councils. Thursday's vote was seen as a test of Zambia's reputation as one of Africa's most stable democracies, amid concerns that political freedoms are being undermined.
Despite 14 candidates being on the presidential ballot paper, the contest was largely seen as a two-horse race between the incumbent and his main challenger Mundubile - running on the banner of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP). Despite steering Zambia through an economic rebound Hichilema faced a challenge as many people have said their circumstances have not improved. Mundubile hoped to capitalise on that dissatisfaction.
Mundubile is a former minister in the Patriotic Front (PF) government that ruled from 2011 to 2021, with his alliance drawing support from backers of the late former President, Edgar Lungu. Speaking after casting his ballot on Thursday, he said he stood for "peace and unity", as well as the empowerment of young people and women. "This is indeed our second independence.
I want every Zambian to celebrate this day," he added. Lungu died more than a year ago and his body remains unburied in South Africa, amid a bitter dispute between Lungu's family and Hichilema, which has heightened political divisions in Zambia. Hichilema, 64, won the 2021 election on his sixth attempt and is betting on job creation and an ambitious infrastructure drive to secure a second and final term.
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