LUSAKA, Aug. 17 — Zambia’s electoral commission has resumed the count in last week’s presidential election after a pause triggered by alleged attacks on polling staff, with partial results showing incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema leading opposition challenger Brian Mundubile.
With roughly 135 of 226 constituencies consolidated, Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) held a lead of more than 80,000 votes, according to commission tallies published Saturday. Observers have cited scattered incidents of violence and what they describe as a tilted campaign field during the August 13 vote.
The opposition has alleged irregularities in the conduct of the election and said it would pursue complaints through legal channels. The commission urged all parties to remain calm and said counting would proceed transparently, district by district.
The contest has been closely watched across southern Africa, where Zambia has a record of peaceful transfers of power between ruling and opposition parties. A separate dispute over the burial of a former head of state has added tension to an already heated campaign season.
If no candidate secures a first-round majority, a runoff would follow. Both campaigns said they were preparing for that possibility. The outcome carries unusual economic weight: Zambia is still recovering from a protracted sovereign debt restructuring, and drought-driven power shortages have hit households and the vital copper mining industry across the country.