Zambia election results have been suspended nationwide. The Electoral Commission of Zambia reported violence against polling staff. It also reported theft of marked ballot papers in several districts.
The commission said on Friday that counting had stopped. The announcement of Zambia election results was halted with immediate effect. It cited attacks on poll workers. It also cited reports that ballot papers had been stolen from boxes during tallying.
The suspension was ordered under Section 67(3) of the Electoral Process Act No. 35 of 2016. ECZ chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis said the commission would review the position within 24 hours. The security situation would be assessed first.
Zambians voted on Thursday. The vote covered presidential, parliamentary and local government elections. Fourteen candidates contested the presidency. Incumbent Hakainde Hichilema was seeking a second term. His main challenger was opposition figure Brian Mundubile.
Almost 8.8 million people were registered to vote. They also chose lawmakers for 226 seats in the National Assembly. A presidential candidate needs more than half the vote to win outright. Failing that, the top two contenders proceed to a runoff.
The pause in Zambia election results came as tension rose. Mundubile leads the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity. He told supporters that his party’s parallel voter tabulation showed a win. He claimed both the presidency and a parliamentary majority.
Mundubile said the figures came from polling station and constituency totalling centres. He urged the commission to release official numbers without delay. The Associated Press reported that his camp viewed the hold-up in Zambia election results with concern. It warned that a prolonged delay could open room for interference.
Hichilema stopped short of declaring victory. He said his party was receiving encouraging figures from around the country. He asked Zambians to stay calm while the official process continued.
France 24 reported that the parliamentary count was suspended too. It said the commission had not named anyone responsible for the reported theft of ballot papers.
Claims from both camps remain provisional. Signed polling station returns, known locally as GEN 20 forms, can confirm what happened at one station. A party’s internal tally is not the same as a verified national outcome. Until the commission acts, official Zambia election results simply do not exist. Only the electoral commission has the legal authority to declare a winner.
The election was fought largely on the economy, the backdrop against which these Zambia election results will eventually be judged. Hichilema has led Zambia since 2021. He steered the country through recovery from a 2020 sovereign debt default. Many voters still face high living costs, unemployment and periodic power shortages.
Opposition parties and independent rights groups raised other concerns before the vote. They accused the government of narrowing space for dissent. Days before polling, law enforcement raided Mundubile’s alliance offices. Zambia’s Human Rights Commission said it was monitoring arrests and detentions involving candidates, supporters and journalists.
Zambia has changed presidents only through the ballot box since 1991. That record made this vote a closely watched test. Results had initially been expected by Monday. The commission said they could come sooner once counting resumes.
For now, Zambia election results remain frozen. The commission is assessing the security situation district by district. What happens when the suspension is reviewed will shape how both camps judge the outcome. It will also shape how the wider region judges it.
