Zambia resumes counting after violence disrupts election process

Zambia has resumed vote counting after a nationwide suspension over election-related violence, with the Electoral Commission saying security threats have been contained. The first presidential results are expected at 10:00 p.m. local time, or 2000 GMT.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia lifted the suspension after consultations with law enforcement agencies and a review of the security situation.

Commission chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis said the threat to the electoral process had been contained and measures were in place for counting to continue.

The commission had suspended counting on Friday after reports of violence targeting election staff and the theft of marked ballot papers from ballot boxes.

Rival camps await official results

President Hakainde Hichilema, seeking a second five-year term, said his campaign was receiving “encouraging results” and urged supporters to remain peaceful and patient.

His main challenger, Brian Mundubile, meanwhile claimed victory in the presidential race and said his alliance had also won a majority of parliamentary seats.

Official results will determine whether Hichilema can secure another term or whether the opposition can force a change of power in the copper-rich country.

Election follows tense campaign

About 8.7 million voters were registered for Thursday’s election, which also included parliamentary and local contests. Counting for parliamentary seats was suspended alongside the presidential tally.

The vote was held against a backdrop of concerns over political freedoms, arrests and tensions between the government and opposition.

Authorities also arrested several people accused of attempting to disrupt the electoral system, including former senior government officials.

Economic record at stake

The election has also put Hichilema’s economic record under scrutiny. His government has secured a major debt restructuring agreement, restored an IMF programme and returned the economy to growth after Zambia defaulted on its sovereign debt under the previous administration.

But poverty, unemployment and rising food prices remain major concerns for many voters, with more than 70 percent of the population living on less than $3 a day, according to the World Bank.

Zambia has traditionally enjoyed peaceful transfers of power since the return to multiparty democracy in 1991, making the handling of the vote and the final result closely watched.