Counting underway as Zambia awaits results from closely watched election

42 Views Counting of ballots is underway across Zambia following Thursday’s general election, with the first results emerging from individual polling stations as political parties and voters wait for the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to begin announcing consolidated results. Polling officially closed at 18:00, although counting started at different times depending on when voting […]

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Counting of ballots is underway across Zambia following Thursday’s general election, with the first results emerging from individual polling stations as political parties and voters wait for the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to begin announcing consolidated results.

Polling officially closed at 18:00, although counting started at different times depending on when voting ended at individual polling stations. Some polling stations experienced delays in opening and other challenges during the voting process, resulting in voting continuing beyond the scheduled closing time in some places.

The election was generally peaceful, despite the delays and isolated challenges reported during the day.

Zambia went to the polls to elect the President, Members of Parliament and local government representatives, with more than 8.7 million registered voters expected to participate.

The presidential contest has been closely watched, with incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema of the UPND facing his main challenger, NRP-UP presidential candidate Brian Mundubile, who is backed by the Tonse Pamodzi Alliance.

As counting continues, preliminary figures being circulated from individual polling stations are showing a competitive picture.

According to results currently being reported from a limited number of polling stations, Mundubile is showing early leads in Lusaka, Copperbelt, Eastern, Northern, Muchinga and Luapula provinces.

Hichilema, meanwhile, is recording strong preliminary support in his traditional Southern Province stronghold, as well as in Western and North-Western provinces.

However, the figures currently emerging should not be interpreted as provincial or national results.

They represent only a small number of polling stations whose results have been counted and announced locally. Many more polling stations are still counting, while results must go through the formal verification and consolidation process before they can contribute to the official presidential tally.

Under the electoral process, counting begins at the polling station. Once counting is completed, the results are recorded and made available at the polling station before being transmitted to the relevant constituency tally centre for consolidation.

For the presidential election, results subsequently form part of the national tallying process conducted by the ECZ.

This means that early results from individual polling stations can provide an indication of voting patterns in particular areas but cannot by themselves determine who has won the presidency.

The significance of the early figures is nevertheless being closely watched because the election has produced a geographical contest involving traditional strongholds as well as the highly populated urban provinces.

Lusaka and Copperbelt, in particular, have been viewed as critical battlegrounds, while Northern, Muchinga and Luapula have traditionally provided significant opposition support. Southern, Western and North-Western have historically been strong areas for Hichilema and the UPND.

The emerging figures will therefore need to be assessed against the number of votes still outstanding in each province and, ultimately, against the national total.

The election has attracted considerable international attention, with Reuters reporting that the vote proceeded largely peacefully although some polling stations experienced delays.

The ECZ has indicated that it expects to conclude and announce the presidential results within the legally prescribed period. The Commission has committed to declaring the presidential results within 72 hours of the close of the last polling station, with August 17, 2026 set as the expected date for the final presidential announcement.

The presidential winner must secure more than 50 percent of the valid votes cast. If no candidate crosses that threshold, the Constitution provides for a second round of voting.

For now, both major camps are expected to closely monitor the counting process through their polling agents and tallying structures.

The coming hours are likely to provide a clearer picture as more polling-station results are verified and constituency tally centres begin consolidating figures.

Zambians will therefore have to wait for the ECZ’s official tally before any candidate can legitimately be declared the winner.

For the moment, the early figures show a competitive race — with Mundubile making gains across several provinces while Hichilema maintains strong support in his traditional southern and western bases.

But with the overwhelming majority of polling-station results still to be consolidated, the race remains open and the early numbers should be treated strictly as preliminary.