Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has secured a second five-year term after the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) declared him the winner of the August 13 presidential election.
The ECZ announced the final results early Tuesday at the National Election Results Center in Lusaka, confirming that Hichilema had crossed the 50 per cent threshold required to win the presidency without a run-off. He received about 61.4 per cent of the valid votes, while his main challenger, Brian Mundubile, garnered about 38 per cent.
“I therefore declare Hichilema Hakainde S to be president-elect of the Republic of Zambia this 18th day of August, 2026,” commission chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis said.
The victory gives Hichilema another five years in office and extends his political career after a long pursuit of the presidency. The 64-year-old was making his seventh attempt at the top office, while Mundubile was contesting for the presidency for the first time.
Hichilema was widely expected to have an advantage because he was seeking re-election as an incumbent. His victory was followed by celebrations in Lusaka, where hundreds of his supporters took to the streets dressed in the red colours of his United Party for National Development (UPND).
The supporters sang, danced and set off firecrackers as news of the result spread.
Hichilema later thanked voters for giving him another mandate, saying he was “truly humbled by the trust you have placed in our hands”.
He also reached out to voters who supported his opponents, telling them, “We hear you, and we will continue to work for you.”
There was no immediate response from Mundubile following the declaration.
The election, however, was followed by tension and claims of irregularities after what had been a relatively calm campaign period.
On election night, authorities arrested 11 people, including senior opposition figures, during a raid that involved an exchange of gunfire. Mundubile was present during the incident.
The government said the operation was aimed at stopping what it described as “militia activity”, claiming those arrested had been found with military-grade weapons allegedly intended for an armed insurrection.
Mundubile’s National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) disputed the government’s version of events. The party said the operation happened at its leader’s home and that a member of parliament was injured by gunfire.
The controversy continued the following day when the electoral commission halted vote-counting for several hours. The ECZ cited reports of violence against polling staff and the theft of ballot papers.
Mundubile also raised concerns over the counting process, saying he had received information about possible changes to result forms from polling stations. He called for an urgent independent investigation into the claims.
Hichilema’s camp rejected the allegations, accusing Mundubile of lying.
International observers, including the European Union, said the election was largely peaceful but raised concerns about the wider electoral environment.
The EU said the “broader electoral process took place in an environment that limited fundamental freedoms”.
Michael McNamara, chief of the EU observation mission, said, “Late legal changes, legal uncertainty, and unequal campaign conditions distorted the playing field.”
About 5 million votes were cast in the election.
Zambia has a population of about 22 million people and is Africa’s second-largest copper producer. The country has also maintained a record of peaceful transfers of power through elections, with every change of president since the return to multiparty politics in 1991 taking place through the ballot box.