Zambia's President Extends Vote Lead; Opposition Cries Fraud
By Chris Mfula
LUSAKA, Aug. 17 (Reuters) - Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has widened his lead in the presidential election to roughly 62% of valid votes, with results counted from about 71% of constituencies. His main challenger, Brian Mundubile, was on 36%, down from 39% late Sunday.
The Aug. 13 vote was widely seen as a referendum on Hichilema's economic record since he took office in 2021 during a debt crisis. The 64-year-old president is seeking a second term in a southern African copper producer that has become part of a broader competition between China and the United States for critical minerals.
With the partial count still pointing to a decisive win, Mundubile has raised the prospect of a disputed outcome. In a video posted to his social media accounts on Monday, he said he had received information about possible alteration of result forms from polling stations and called for an urgent independent investigation. "We wish to place on record our grave concern regarding the integrity of the ongoing presidential election process," he said.
Hichilema's spokesperson, Clayson Hamasaka, dismissed the complaints. "It's all lies. They have been crying about everything from the time campaigning started," he told Reuters.
Election commission officials did not take questions after announcing the latest figures and could not be reached for further comment.
Zambia's rules require more than 50% of valid votes to win in the first round; otherwise, the top two candidates face a runoff. The commission has not yet declared a final outcome, but the partial count has placed Hichilema above that threshold.
The opposition's fraud claims sharpened a contest that had appeared relatively calm in the days before the vote. On election night, authorities arrested 11 people, including senior opposition figures, during a raid in which gunfire was exchanged. Mundubile was present at the time. The following day, the electoral commission suspended counting for hours because of reported violence against polling staff and the theft of ballot papers.
Opposition parties and civil society groups have accused the government of growing repression in recent months, a charge the government denies. The dispute now appears likely to move from the counting halls to the courts or the streets, though analysts caution against expecting widespread unrest.
Greg Musiker, a Zambia analyst at advisory firm Signal Risk, said the opposition was unlikely to accept the result and could pursue a legal challenge, even if one was unlikely to succeed. "While localized political violence is possible in the coming days, widespread unrest is not expected," he said.
A prolonged dispute could also test Zambia's standing with investors as Hichilema continues an International Monetary Fund-backed reform agenda and a long-running effort to restructure the country's debt. The election was always likely to turn on whether voters trusted that recovery story; the political reaction to the result will determine whether that debate stays orderly.
(Reporting by Chris Mfula; Additional reporting by Sfundo Parakozov and Nilutpal Timsina; Writing by Anathi Madubela and Nellie Peyton; Editing by Alexander Winning and Alexandra Hudson)