Zambia election observers cite intimidation as vote count resumes

Vote counting in Zambia’s presidential election resumed on Saturday after the Electoral Commission confirmed that security threats had been contained, ending a tense pause that followed reports of violence and the alleged theft of ballot papers. The suspension, which occurred on Friday, has drawn sharp criticism from international observers who highlighted a constrained democratic space and biased media coverage as significant concerns ahead of the poll.

President Hakainde Hichilema leads the partial official count with 438,708 votes, representing 52.6 per cent of the total, while his main challenger, Brian Mundubile, holds 351,281 votes or 42.1 per cent. The Electoral Commission released these figures late on Saturday evening from the National Results Centre, cautioning that the data remains provisional. A third candidate, Kelvin Bwalya, trailed significantly with 3,965 votes.

The European Union and Southern African Development Community (SADC) observer missions issued statements calling for calm as tallies continued. SADC mission leader Samuel Tembenu, a former Malawian justice minister, noted that his team was unable to monitor the counting process during the suspension. He reported receiving allegations of intimidation, assault, abduction, and property damage across five provinces, with some submissions citing injuries and at least one fatality.

Reinhold Lopatka, who led the European Parliament’s observer delegation, described the decision to halt counting as disproportionate, given that only a small fraction of the country’s more than 13,000 polling stations were affected. He reported that opposition figures faced intimidation, including from security forces, and that some candidates had withdrawn under pressure. European Union chief observer Michael McNamara added that the vote unfolded against a backdrop of incumbency advantages and heavily biased state media coverage.

Tensions remained high as police and soldiers in armed vehicles were deployed in parts of the capital, Lusaka. Authorities confirmed the arrest of nine individuals in connection with the killing of a 57-year-old polling agent in a township outside the capital on election day. While police maintained that voting had otherwise passed off peacefully, the deployment underscored the security challenges surrounding the tally.

Mundubile, running for the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity, has claimed victory based on parallel counts conducted by his party. He alleged irregularities, including claims that military personnel took control of tallying centres in Mufulira, that result forms went missing, and that officials in the North-Western Province were instructed to stop releasing results. Hichilema, seeking a second term with the ruling United Party for National Development, has stopped short of declaring victory, describing his campaign’s results as encouraging.

The Electoral Commission stated it would issue a notice on Sunday morning regarding the timing of the next results announcement. Final results were previously expected on Monday, but the commission noted it remained unclear whether the Friday suspension would delay the final declaration. Approximately 8.7 million people were registered to vote in the copper-rich nation of 22 million.