Zambia Electoral Commission has declared incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema a re-elected president for a second five-year term, after a campaign and voting process marred by allegations of irregularities and violence.
Results announced by the electoral commission early Tuesday showed Hichilema securing about 61.4 percent of the valid votes, against 38 percent for his main challenger, Brian Mundubile of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP).
ECZ chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis declared Hichilema president-elect on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
The 64-year-old president, who was contesting for the presidency for the seventh time, was widely expected to retain power, benefiting from the advantages of incumbency. Mundubile, meanwhile, was making his first bid for the presidency.
Celebrations broke out in Lusaka following the announcement, with supporters of Hichilema’s United Party for National Development (UPND) taking to the streets to celebrate his victory.
Hichilema, in a statement after his victory, said he was “truly humbled” by the confidence placed in his administration and pledged to continue working for all Zambians, including those who voted against him.
The election was, however, overshadowed by tensions and allegations of electoral malpractice. Authorities arrested 11 people on election night during a raid that the government said targeted suspected militia activity. The opposition disputed the account, saying the raid occurred at Mundubile’s residence and that a lawmaker was wounded.
Vote counting was also temporarily suspended after reports of violence against polling staff and the theft of ballot papers. Mundubile later called for an independent investigation into claims that results from some polling stations could have been altered.
The European Union election observation mission said the voting was largely peaceful but criticised the broader electoral environment, citing restrictions on fundamental freedoms, legal uncertainty and unequal campaign conditions.
About five million votes were cast in the election.
Zambia, with a population of about 22 million and one of Africa’s leading copper producers, has maintained a record of peaceful transfers of power through elections since the return to multiparty democracy in 1991.
