Zambia Suspends Vote Count Nationwide After Ballots Stolen and Officials Targeted

LUSAKA — Zambia's Electoral Commission has taken the extraordinary step of suspending vote counting and the announcement of election results nationwide after violence was reported in several districts.

The decision follows Thursday's presidential, parliamentary and local government elections.

Election officials said there had been incidents involving attacks against officials and cases in which marked ballot papers were stolen from ballot boxes. The nationwide suspension will be reviewed within 24 hours, the commission said.

President Hakainde Hichilema is seeking a second term. He took office in 2021 and has overseen efforts to move Zambia, one of Africa's major copper producers, through a severe sovereign debt crisis.

His leading opposition challenger, Brian Mundubile, has drawn large crowds during the campaign, although analysts cited by Reuters regarded Hichilema as the favourite before voting began.

Full results had originally been expected by Monday. It is now uncertain whether that timetable can be maintained.

The immediate challenge for electoral authorities is to protect the integrity of the ballot while determining precisely what happened in affected districts. Where ballot boxes or voting materials have been interfered with, officials must establish whether the incidents were isolated or whether they could materially affect constituency results.

Transparency will be particularly important. Electoral disputes can escalate quickly when competing parties believe the counting process has been compromised.

Zambia has previously experienced peaceful transfers of political power and has often been watched closely as an important southern African democracy. For that reason, the suspension is significant beyond Zambia itself. The response of the Electoral Commission, security agencies, political parties and the courts could determine whether public confidence is maintained.

Sources: Electoral Commission of Zambia, Reuters.

Editorial note: at midday there is no verified national winner. Posts purporting to announce a final presidential result should be treated cautiously until the commission resumes its process and releases official figures.