Hichilema Re-elected with 60% of Vote
Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema has won re-election with around 60 percent of the votes cast last week, the electoral commission announced on Tuesday. The result was widely expected, with Hichilema—in power since 2021—facing a crowded field of 13 challengers, led by former provincial minister Brian Mundubile, who was making his first bid for the presidency.
Mundubile, 55, who entered the race in May, secured nearly 38 percent of the vote, according to Electoral Commission of Zambia chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis. Five of the 226 constituencies had not been tallied, but Zaloumis said the outstanding results were not likely to materially influence the overall result.
Election Overshadowed by Allegations and Tensions
The August 13 election in the copper-rich southern African nation was overshadowed by opposition allegations of fraud and an unprecedented nationwide suspension of vote tallying after attacks on election staff and the theft of marked ballot papers.
Ahead of the vote, opposition parties and civil society groups warned of a shrinking political space, citing restrictions on campaigning. International and domestic observer missions said at the weekend that the conditions had contributed to an uneven playing field.
Tensions escalated after the vote when authorities arrested nearly a dozen people, including senior opposition figures, during a raid that involved an exchange of gunfire. The government said those arrested were linked to militia or insurgent activity around the election, allegations denied by Mundubile's NRPUP party.
A Referendum on Hichilema's First Term
The election was widely seen as a referendum on Hichilema's first term, during which Zambia's economy returned to growth after years of fiscal distress.
Xi Jinping Congratulates Hichilema
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday congratulated Hakainde Hichilema on his re-election as president of Zambia. In his message, Xi said that they have met twice in recent years and jointly steered the development of China-Zambia relations.
The political mutual trust between the two countries has continued to deepen, practical cooperation has been fruitful, and China and Zambia have closely coordinated and cooperated in multilateral affairs, he said. Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Zambia ties and stands ready to work with Hichilema to implement the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
He also pledged to join the Zambian leader in carrying forward traditional friendship, cementing mutual support, and continuously raising the level of mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to take the China-Zambia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to new heights and deliver greater benefits to the two peoples. The message was reported by Xinhua News Agency.