Zambia’s election has entered a tense phase after the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) suspended the counting and announcement of results nationwide, citing violence against election officials and the reported theft of marked ballot papers.
The commission announced the suspension on Friday, one day after Zambians voted in presidential, parliamentary and local government elections.
ECZ chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis said the decision followed reports of violence during the counting and announcement of results in some districts.
The commission said the violence had specifically targeted polling staff and, in some cases, resulted in marked ballot papers being taken from ballot boxes.
“In view of the security situation and continued threats of violence, the Commission has with immediate effect suspended the counting and announcement of results throughout the country,” Zaloumis said.
The suspension is being made under Section 67(3) of Zambia’s Electoral Process Act and will be reviewed within 24 hours, according to the commission.
The development comes as opposition presidential candidate Brian Mundubile has already claimed victory, creating a potentially contentious gap between a candidate’s declaration and the official results process.
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Mundubile said his campaign’s Parallel Voter Tabulation, compiled from information received from polling stations and totalling centres, showed him winning the presidential contest as well as a majority of parliamentary seats.
“According to the results received and compiled across the nation, our tabulation indicates that we have won this election, we have won this election both at presidential level and majority seats in Parliament,” Mundubile said.
His declaration remains a claim by the candidate rather than an official election result.
The ECZ is the institution constitutionally responsible for determining and announcing the official presidential result.
The suspension therefore means Zambia enters a period of heightened uncertainty, with the electoral authority citing security concerns while an opposition candidate is already presenting an alternative account of the outcome.
President Hakainde Hichilema is seeking a second term after taking office in 2021. Mundubile emerged as his principal opposition challenger in a presidential field of 14 candidates.
The stakes are particularly high because Zambia has historically been regarded as one of the region’s more established electoral democracies, including its peaceful transfer of power in 2021, when Hichilema defeated then-President Edgar Lungu.
The commission’s decision also changes the expected results timetable. The ECZ’s published electoral calendar had scheduled the receipt and verification of presidential results from August 15 to August 17, with the declaration of the presidential result scheduled for August 17.
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