By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Counting is under way in Zambia after voting closed on Thursday in Zambia’s general election where President Hakainde Hichilema was seeking a second five-year term.
In order to win outright in the first round a presentation, a presidential candidate needs more than half the votes cast, otherwise a run-off election is triggered.
The Thursday polling day was largely peaceful, with queues reported in many areas and only isolated delays. The more than eight million registered voters had the chance to elect a president, MPs and local councils.
The vote was seen as a test of Zambia’s reputation as one of Africa’s most stable democracies, amid concerns that political freedoms are being undermined.
Fourteen candidates were on the ballot, but the contest was largely seen as a two-horse race between the incumbent Hichilema and his main challenger Brian Mundubile.
Mundubile is a former minister in the Patriotic Front (PF) government that ruled from 2011 to 2021, with his alliance drawing support from backers of the late former President, Edgar Lungu.
Speaking after casting his ballot on Thursday, he said he stood for “peace and unity”, as well as the empowerment of young people and women.
“This is indeed our second independence. I want every Zambian to celebrate this day,” he added.
Lungu died more than a year ago and his body remains unburied in South Africa, amid a bitter dispute between Lungu’s family and Hichilema, which has heightened political divisions in Zambia.
Hichilema, 64, won the 2021 election on his sixth attempt and is betting on job creation and an ambitious infrastructure drive to secure a second and final term.
The election was seen as a referendum on his economic record, which has boasted debt restructuring, currency strengthening and lowered inflation.
“After doing the heavy lifting, such as debt restructure, restoring the mining sector, now we want a step change in the growth so that we can take care of society,” Hichilema is quoted by the AFP saying after he voted.
Civil society monitors reported mostly orderly voting alongside some incidents of delays and procedural issues. International observers are present.
