LUSAKA PROTESTS: Small groups demand results as ECZ suspends count, Hichilema deletes Facebook message

15 ViewsSmall groups of protesters gathered in parts of Lusaka’s Central Business District on Thursday demanding the Electoral Commission of Zambia resume announcing presidential election results, hours after ECZ ordered a nationwide suspension of vote counting. The demonstrations were not large and remained localized around Cairo Road and Lumumba Road. Some shops closed early and […]

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President Hichilema

Small groups of protesters gathered in parts of Lusaka’s Central Business District on Thursday demanding the Electoral Commission of Zambia resume announcing presidential election results, hours after ECZ ordered a nationwide suspension of vote counting.

The demonstrations were not large and remained localized around Cairo Road and Lumumba Road. Some shops closed early and traffic slowed as crowds chanted for ECZ to “release the results now.” There were no reports of casualties or major disruptions.

The protests followed ECZ’s announcement that it had halted all counting and public announcements countrywide.

ECZ: “Suspension due to violence and theft of ballots”

In a press release signed by ECZ Chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis, the Commission said it was acting to protect staff and electoral materials.

The full statement read:

“The Electoral Commission of Zambia has noted with concern reports of violence during the counting and announcement of results in some districts.

The violence is targeted at Poll staff and in some instances has resulted in the theft of marked ballot papers in ballot boxes.

In view of the security situation and continued threats of violence, the Commission has with immediate effect suspended the counting and announcement of results throughout the country in accordance with Section 67 (3) of the Electoral Process Act No. 35 of 2016. The Commission will review the suspension within 24 hours.”_

ECZ did not name the districts affected. It said the safety of poll staff and integrity of materials were the immediate priorities. With 8.7 million registered voters and tallies underway in all 156 constituencies, the suspension has paused results that many areas had already finalized.

HICHILEMA CONDEMNS PROTESTS, THEN DELETES POST

As the small protests unfolded, President Hakainde Hichilema posted a message on Facebook addressing the demonstrations and the opposition, before deleting it minutes later.

The deleted message stated:

“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.

In all our opposition life, 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 in the streets 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, which appeared to reference UPND’s 23 years in opposition before winning power in 2021, drew over 14,000 reactions and 3,400 comments before it was removed. The Presidency had not issued a statement on why it was deleted by Thursday evening.

Opposition leaders criticized the deletion, saying it showed government unease as public frustration grew over the lack of transparency.

National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity presidential candidate Brian Mundubile condemned the suspension in a video, warning it created a “dangerous vacuum.”

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

He called on domestic and international 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 when counting resumes.

Political analyst Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa said the credibility of the election now hinges on what happens next.

“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.

The Law Society of Zambia said any suspension must be “narrow, proportionate, and time-bound,” and reminded that citizens have a constitutional right to have votes counted without undue delay.

Under the Electoral Process Act, ECZ has 72 hours from the close of polls to declare a presidential result. The Commission says it will review the suspension within 24 hours.

With calm returning to Lusaka by nightfall, attention now turns to whether ECZ can restore confidence quickly enough to resume counting, and whether the results, when announced, will be accepted as credible by all parties.