Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema has been re-elected for a second five-year term after securing 60 percent of the vote, the electoral commission announced on Tuesday. His closest challenger, Brian Mundubile of the NRPUP, received 38 percent. The remaining twelve candidates trailed far behind.
Hichilema (64) was gracious in victory. “We are truly humbled by the trust you have placed in our hands,” he said in a statement after the declaration. Hundreds of supporters dressed in the red colours of his United Party for National Development flooded the streets of Lusaka in celebration.
The result arrived after a turbulent few days. Mundubile (55) had earlier claimed victory himself and alleged voting irregularities without providing evidence. A day after polling, the electoral commission briefly suspended vote counting, citing reports of violence against polling staff and the theft of marked ballot papers in some areas. The suspension was lifted the same day. Regional and international observers described election day as largely peaceful. However, they raised concerns about late electoral reforms, media access, and an uneven campaign environment for the opposition.
The Raid
The situation escalated sharply on Friday when armed personnel raided Mundubile’s Lusaka home. He told the BBC on Monday that an armoured vehicle knocked down his gate before officers broke doors and windows and opened fire. He denied government allegations that high-grade military weapons and militia were present at the property.
“So they came in to kill us,” he said.
Several leading opposition figures were arrested during the raid, with authorities accusing them of plotting an insurrection. Mundubile called that claim a fabrication.
The NRPUP told the BBC that Mundubile was subsequently in a “secure location under the protection of an international human rights body due to threats made against him.” Local media reported he and his running mate Makebi Zulu had gone into self-imposed exile at a UN agency. The party said he would address the Zambian public “as soon as circumstances allow.”
Hichilema’s election agent Mulambo Haimbe said the opposition’s account of the raid was “not correct”. Further stating that criminal charges were being pursued against those arrested. He added that the courts would address any electoral challenge should the opposition choose to file one.
Zambia has a strong record of peaceful transfers of power since multiparty democracy was restored in 1991. Hichilema’s win looks set to extend that record. But the circumstances surrounding his opponent’s disappearance into UN protection will not be easily forgotten.
