ECZ resumes vote counting, announcement; warns against self-declarations

21 Views The Electoral Commission of Zambia has lifted the nationwide suspension of vote counting and announcement, and will begin releasing the first official presidential results tonight at 22:00 hours. ECZ Chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis announced the resumption on Thursday evening and warned all candidates and political parties against declaring themselves winners before official results are […]

21 Views

The Electoral Commission of Zambia has lifted the nationwide suspension of vote counting and announcement, and will begin releasing the first official presidential results tonight at 22:00 hours.

ECZ Chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis announced the resumption on Thursday evening and warned all candidates and political parties against declaring themselves winners before official results are announced.

The development comes after hours of uncertainty following ECZ’s decision to pause the process, and amid claims and counter-claims from key contenders in the presidential race.

Addressing the media, Zaloumis said the Commission had reviewed the security situation and was satisfied that counting could continue.

_“The Electoral Commission of Zambia has with immediate effect lifted the suspension of vote counting and announcement countrywide,”_ Zaloumis said.

_“The first set of official results will be announced tonight at 22:00 hours.”_

She cautioned politicians against pre-empting the Commission’s mandate.

_“We warn candidates against declaring themselves winners, saying doing so is a criminal offence,”_ she said.

_“We urge citizens to remain calm as they wait for official results. Those who are counting and processing the results should not be subjected to violence and intimidation.”_

The suspension had been imposed after ECZ cited reports of violence targeted at poll staff and the theft of marked ballot papers in some districts. The Commission invoked Section 67 (3) of the Electoral Process Act No. 35 of 2016 at the time.

With 8.7 million registered voters and tallies completed in many of the 156 constituencies, ECZ said it would now move to announce results in batches until a presidential winner is declared within the 72-hour legal window.

In the hours before ECZ’s announcement, National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity presidential candidate Brian Mundubile went live on social media to declare himself the winner of the election.

_“According to the results we have received from our agents across the country, the people of Zambia have spoken and they have chosen change. I, Brian Mundubile, declare myself President-elect of the Republic of Zambia,”_ Mundubile said in the address.

He accused the government of attempting to manipulate the process during the suspension.

_“We condemn violence wherever it occurs. But the act of violence in a few isolated areas must not be used to justify the suspension of the vote counting and announcement process countrywide,”_ he said.

_“The UPND knows it has lost this election. That is why this suspension creates an opportunity for interfering with the results.”_

Mundubile called on observers to _“demand that every ballot box, every GEN 20 form, every tally sheet is accounted for”_ and urged ECZ to publish results polling station by polling station.

His self-declaration puts him in direct contravention of ECZ’s warning that only the Commission can announce official results, and that doing otherwise is an offence under electoral law.

President Hakainde Hichilema has not claimed victory. In a brief statement posted and later deleted from Facebook, and in comments to party officials, he instead called for calm and patience as ECZ completes its work.

_“We are waiting for the Electoral Commission to conclude its process. Let us be patient and allow the law to take its course,”_ Hichilema said, according to officials present.

In the deleted Facebook post, he also reflected on UPND’s time in opposition and urged political leaders not to incite the public.

_“In our entire years of opposition, at no point did we ever encourage other people’s children to go into streets over any grievances we had with the electoral process then.

We hope our colleagues in opposition can learn from that by not sending other people’s children into the streets.”_

The post drew over 14,000 reactions before it was removed. The Presidency has not explained why it was deleted.

Unlike Mundubile, Hichilema has avoided making any claim on the outcome, instead emphasizing constitutional process and restraint from all sides.

Political analyst Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa said ECZ’s decision to resume counting was necessary to restore public confidence.

_“The credibility of this election now rests on the safety of staff, the integrity of ballot papers, and the transparency of what happens next,”_ he said. _“Announcing in batches from 22:00 will help, but ECZ must be seen to be consistent and open.”_

The Law Society of Zambia welcomed the lifting of the suspension but reiterated that the process must remain _“narrow, proportionate, and time-bound,”_ and that citizens have a constitutional right to have votes counted without undue delay.

Civil society groups have also urged candidates to desist from premature victory claims, warning that such statements can inflame tensions while officials are still tallying.

As Lusaka and other provincial centres await the 22:00 announcement, ECZ officials said tally centres would remain under increased security to protect staff and materials.

For now, Zambia’s next president has not been officially declared. What is clear is ECZ’s position: counting is back on, results are coming tonight, and only the Commission can say who won. [599 words]