Zambia’s president extends election lead as opposition cries fraud

Lusaka. Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema’s lead in the country’s presidential election widened on Monday, while the opposition raised allegations of fraud following last week’s poll.

Hichilema’s share of the valid votes rose to about 62 per cent, up from 59 per cent late on Sunday, according to results from about 71 per cent of constituencies. His main challenger, Brian Mundubile, had 36 per cent of the valid votes, down from 39 per cent overnight.

Mr Hichilema, 64, is seeking a second term in the southern African copper producer, which has become a focus of competition between China and the United States over critical minerals.

The election was widely seen as a referendum on Mr Hichilema’s economic record since he took office during a debt crisis in 2021. Analysts had predicted he would win, largely due to the advantages of incumbency and a divided opposition.

A presidential candidate must receive more than 50 per cent of the vote to win in the first round or face a run-off between the top two contenders.

Opposition raises vote-rigging concerns

“We wish to place on record our grave concern regarding the integrity of the ongoing presidential election process,” Mr Mundubile said in a video posted on his social media channels on Monday.

He said he had received information about the possible alteration of results forms from polling stations and called for an urgent independent investigation.

“It’s all lies. They have been crying about everything from the time campaigning started,” Mr Hichilema’s spokesperson, Clayson Hamasaka, told Reuters in response.

Electoral commission officials did not take questions after a press conference where they announced the latest results and could not immediately be reached by phone for comment.

Tensions escalated quickly after a relatively quiet run-up to the August 13 vote. On election night, authorities arrested 11 people, including leading opposition figures, during a raid that involved an exchange of gunfire while Mr Mundubile was present.

The following day, the electoral commission suspended vote-counting for several hours following reports of violence against polling staff and the theft of ballot papers.

Opposition parties and civil society groups have accused the Government of increasing repression in recent months. The Government has denied the allegations.

The opposition is not expected to accept the results and could decide to lodge a legal challenge, although such a challenge is unlikely to succeed, said Greg Musiker, a Zambia analyst at advisory firm Signal Risk.

“While localised political violence is possible in the coming days, widespread unrest is not expected,” he added.