Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has taken a commanding lead in the country’s presidential election, with results declared from nearly half of the constituencies, according to the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
Figures released on Sunday showed Hichilema securing 54.82% of the declared vote, equivalent to 1,056,812 ballots, putting him on course to win a second term without the need for a runoff if he maintains an outright majority.
His main challenger, Brian Mundubile, was trailing with 43%, or 830,841 votes, after results were announced from 105 of Zambia’s 226 constituencies by around 1500 GMT.
The presidential election was held on Thursday alongside parliamentary and local polls and has been widely viewed as a test of public confidence in Hichilema’s economic record.
Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer after the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been recovering from a severe debt crisis that intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hichilema has campaigned on the economic progress made during his first term.
The vote count was temporarily suspended on Friday after the electoral commission cited incidents of violence against election officials and the theft of ballot papers.
Police have meanwhile rejected claims from Mundubile’s camp that the opposition leader had been arrested and detained.
Under Zambia’s electoral system, a presidential candidate must secure more than 50% of the vote to win outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, a runoff must be held within 37 days of the first-round election.