HH extends lead to 87,427 votes as ECZ announces results from 49 constituencies

HH extends lead to 87,427 votes as ECZ announces results from 49 constituencies President Hakainde Hichilema has extended his lead over closest rival Brian Mundubile to 87,427 votes, according to the latest presidential tally released by the Electoral Commission of Zambia, with…

HH extends lead to 87,427 votes as ECZ announces results from 49 constituencies

President Hakainde Hichilema has extended his lead over closest rival Brian Mundubile to 87,427 votes, according to the latest presidential tally released by the Electoral Commission of Zambia, with results now confirmed from 49 of the country’s 226 constituencies.

ECZ chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis told a briefing at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre that Hichilema, of the United Party for National Development, has secured 438,708 votes, while Mundubile, of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity, has obtained 351,281 votes.

Zaloumis said 26,103 ballots were rejected during the tallying process, bringing the total number of votes cast to 833,671 across the announced constituencies, out of 1.5 million registered voters in those areas, representing a turnout of 55.45 per cent so far.

Trailing candidates remain far behind the two frontrunners. Citizens First’s Harry Kalaba has polled 3,792 votes, Zambia Must Prosper’s Kelvin Fube Bwalya has 3,965, Socialist Party’s Fred M’membe has 2,798, Movement for Economic Emancipation’s Given Chansa has 1,552, and Organised People’s Party’s Brian Mushimba has 1,111 votes. Independent candidate Given Katuta, the only woman among the contenders, has polled 1,919 votes.

Further down the list, Leadership Movement’s Richard Silumbe has 681 votes, Democratic Union’s Ackim Njobvu has 551, Zambia Wake Up Party’s Howard Kunda has 517, New Focus Party’s Richwell Siamunene has 482, and Christian Democratic Party’s Dan Pule has 211 votes.

Notable among the constituencies announced was Dundumwezi, where Hichilema polled 22,943 votes against Mundubile’s 46, and Magoye East, where he secured 19,738 votes to Mundubile’s 148. In Nyimba North, however, the pattern reversed, with Hichilema polling 2,885 votes against Mundubile’s 8,475.

Chief Government Complaints Officer Emmanuel Kasaro, addressing stakeholders during an earlier engagement, assured that the commission would strive to complete counting within the 72-hour constitutional window running from when the last polling station closed at around 02:00 hours on Friday.

Zaloumis said the remaining constituencies were still being processed, and the final outcome would only be announced upon completion of the nationwide tally.

“The commission urges all political parties, candidates and the general citizenry to remain calm and exercise patience as we continue with the remaining tallying processes. The Electoral Commission of Zambia remains committed to conducting a free, fair and transparent electoral process that reflects the true will of the Zambian people,” Zaloumis said.

GEARS Initiative Zambia executive director Patrick Kaumba said there was a need for the ECZ to increase the pace at which results were being disbursed, following the disruption caused by Friday’s counting suspension.

“We accept the realities that because of the pause that happened on Friday, we hope by the third result announcement, we need to increase the pace so that more results are presented, the momentum increases, and the process is hastened,” Kaumba said.

Abraham Makasa, from Democratic Union, echoed similar concerns, stating that the pace at which ECZ was releasing results was slow and wondering whether the commission would meet the deadline it had set for itself of Monday, 17 August.

ECZ Chief Electoral Officer Brown Kasaro assured stakeholders that despite the delays, the commission remained within time to announce the final presidential results, saying the commission was continuing to work to reach that target.

Meanwhile, NRPUP presidential candidate Mundubile has urged the party’s provincial coordinators to remain focused, organised and vigilant as the verification and consolidation of election results continue. In a statement, Mundubile urged coordinators to collect and submit all Gen 20 forms from their respective areas to ensure the party’s information was complete and properly documented, warning that failure to do so could allow disputed or forged forms to enter the results process and lead to a court dispute.

During the earlier announcement of the first set of results, Tonse Alliance observers briefly disturbed proceedings, claiming the commission had not sat down with them as agreed to compare figures before announcing them. The commission has reaffirmed its position of announcing final results by Monday, and Kasaro said more results were expected to be announced today.