By Chris Mfula
LUSAKA, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema’s lead in the country’s presidential election widened on Monday, while the opposition cried fraud in a chaotic aftermath to last week’s poll.
Hichilema’s share of the valid votes rose to roughly 62%, up from 59% late on Sunday, results from about 71% of constituencies showed. His main challenger, Brian Mundubile, was on 36% of valid votes, down from 39% overnight.
Hichilema, 64, is seeking a second term in the Southern African copper producer, which is a focus of competition between China and the United States for its critical minerals.
The election was widely seen as a referendum on Hichilema’s economic record since taking office during a debt crisis in 2021. Analysts had predicted he would win due largely to the advantages of incumbency and a divided opposition.
A presidential candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote to win in the first round, or face a run-off between the top two contenders.
OPPOSITION SAYS IT HAS CONCERNS ABOUT VOTE-RIGGING
“We wish to place on record our grave concern regarding the integrity of the ongoing presidential election process,” said Mundubile in a video posted to his social media channels on Monday.
He said he had received information about the possible alteration of results forms from polling stations, and called for an urgent independent investigation.
“It’s all lies. They have been crying about everything from the time campaigning started,” Hichilema’s spokesperson Clayson Hamasaka told Reuters in response.
Election commission officials did not take questions after a press conference where they announced the latest results, and could not immediately be reached by phone for comment.
Tensions escalated quickly after a relatively quiet run-up to the August 13 vote. On the night of the election, authorities arrested 11 people including leading opposition figures in a raid that involved an exchange of gunfire, while Mundubile was present.
The next day, the electoral commission suspended vote-counting for hours due to reports of violence against polling staff and the theft of ballot papers.
Opposition parties and civil society groups have accused the government of growing repression in recent months. The government has denied this.
The opposition is not expected to accept the results and could decide to lodge a legal challenge although it is unlikely to be successful, said Greg Musiker, Zambia analyst at advisory firm Signal Risk.
“While localised political violence is possible in the coming days, widespread unrest is not expected,” he added.
(Reporting by Chris Mfula;Additional reporting by Sfundo Parakozov and Nilutpal Timsina;Writing by Anathi Madubela and Nellie Peyton; Editing by Alexander Winning, Alexandra Hudson)
