Zambia charged presidential candidate Brian Mundubile with treason on Monday, alongside running mate Makebi Zulu and sixteen supporters, police said.
Police spokesman Godfrey Chilabi confirmed the charges to the Zambia Daily Mail, putting the total number of accused at eighteen people.
Mundubile and Zulu had been in custody since Thursday, having reportedly emerged from hiding after weeks of turmoil since the vote.
He contested the Aug. 13 election under the National Reconciliation Party, winning 1.8 million votes to incumbent Hakainde Hichilema’s 2.9 million.
Hours into vote counting, Mundubile prematurely declared himself the winner, triggering clashes as supporters seized market stalls and a Lusaka bus station.
He was also accused of links to an armed militia allegedly threatening national security, prompting arrests and seizures of military equipment.
Treason carries no possibility of bail under Zambian law, with such cases heard exclusively before the country’s High Court.