Hichilema leads by 120,639 as ECZ results cover 70 of 226

LUSAKA — President Hakainde Hichilema leads Brian Mundubile by 120,639 votes in Zambia's presidential count, in an official tally that represents 70 of the country's 226 constituencies.

The consolidated tally, announced on Sunday by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), is the fullest official picture since Thursday's vote — a count that has been suspended once over violence against poll staff, disputed by a challenger claiming victory, and pressed against a 72-hour constitutional deadline.

The count so far

ECZ chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis announced the figures at the National Totalling Centre in Lusaka, where the tally now reaches 70 constituencies. Hichilema, of the United Party for National Development (UPND), has 626,434 votes — about 54 per cent of the roughly 1.16 million valid votes announced so far. Mundubile, standing for the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) as the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance's candidate, has 505,795, or about 44 per cent.

An announcement earlier on Sunday, covering 49 constituencies, had put the gap at 87,427 votes — 438,708 for Hichilema against 351,281 for Mundubile — before the consolidated update widened the margin. No other candidate named in the announcement has passed 7,000 votes: Harry Kalaba of Citizens First is third on 6,469.

So those are the consolidated results from the time we started announcing to date for the seventy constituencies.

— ECZ chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis, <a href="https://www.elections.org.zm/">National Totalling Centre announcement</a>, Lusaka, 16 August 2026

How the count stalled

The commission suspended counting and the announcement of results across the country on Friday 14 August, citing attacks on election staff in some districts. Zaloumis, in the suspension statement, described a pattern the commission said had to be contained before totalling could continue, and committed the ECZ to reviewing the suspension within 24 hours.

The violence is targeted at poll staff and in some instances has resulted in the theft of marked ballot papers in ballot boxes.

— ECZ chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis, <a href="https://www.elections.org.zm/">suspension statement</a>, 14 August 2026

The suspension came hours after Mundubile declared himself the winner in a televised address, citing a parallel voter tabulation the NRPUP said was transmitted directly from polling stations and constituency totalling centres. "We therefore view the continued delay in the transparent announcement and verification of the presidential results with grave concern," Mundubile said.

Hichilema has not claimed victory. In a statement after Thursday's vote, the President appealed for restraint while the ECZ completes the tally.

Let us remain peaceful, patient and patriotic as we await the official outcome from those entrusted with managing the vote.

— President Hakainde Hichilema, statement after the 13 August vote

Police have recorded a string of incidents around the count. Nine people were arrested over the killing of a polling agent in Matero, Lusaka; six men were detained with weapons elsewhere in the capital; one arrest followed a shooting in Kalomo and another an attack in Kasama. The Inspector General of Police described the election overall as mostly peaceful. Zaloumis did not name the districts affected in the suspension statement.

Background

Thursday's poll was Zambia's first general election under the 2025 constitutional amendments, which enlarged the National Assembly's elected seats from 156 to 226 constituencies. The register held 8,786,300 voters, according to the commission's results portal, and 14 candidates stood for president across 13,529 polling stations. Voters cast three ballots on the day — presidential, parliamentary and local government — and those counts are being totalled in parallel.

Hichilema won the presidency in 2021 with about 59 per cent of the vote against Edgar Lungu. Lungu's death in June 2025, and the burial dispute that followed, reshaped the opposition: the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance consolidated behind Mundubile, the Patriotic Front's former leader of the opposition in the National Assembly.

What to watch

The arithmetic first. With 199 constituencies outstanding, the decisive question is whether Hichilema's share of the national valid vote stays above the 50 per cent plus one threshold; anything below that forces a run-off between the top two. The Constitution gives the commission 72 hours from the close of polling to declare a presidential result — a clock the ECZ has applied from the close of the final polling stations early on Friday.

Markets are watching the clock as closely as the parties. The next administration must land the successor to Zambia's IMF programme and complete the debt restructuring — the policy horizon Kwacha News set out in its look at the post-vote IMF pivot — and a disputed or delayed declaration would put both at risk.

Then the disputes. Any declaration can be petitioned at the Constitutional Court, a caseload the judiciary says the courts have prepared for. Kwacha News is following the count, the parliamentary picture and any petitions as part of the newsroom's politics coverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions readers have been asking since the Electoral Commission of Zambia began announcing results from Thursday's vote. Short answers follow, drawn from the commission's consolidated announcements and the official results portal. The figures reflect the commission's announcements up to Sunday 16 August.

What is the state of Zambia's 2026 election results?

In short, ECZ data shows Hichilema on 626,434 votes and Mundubile on 505,795 across 70 of 226 constituencies — a margin of 120,639. The count is effectively a two-horse race: no other candidate named in the announcement has passed 7,000 votes. The commission's results portal lists 8,786,300 registered voters nationwide.

Why is the vote count taking so long?

Simply put, the count lost a day. According to chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis, the commission halted counting and announcements on 14 August because violence in some districts was targeted at poll staff and, in some instances, led to the theft of marked ballot papers. Announcements resumed on Saturday with a first batch of four constituencies.

How does Zambia decide the presidential winner?

The key is the 50 per cent plus one threshold. A candidate must take more than half of all valid votes cast nationwide to win in the first round; anything less forces a run-off between the top two candidates. Analysis of the announced figures puts Hichilema's share at about 54 per cent so far.

Who is Brian Mundubile?

Mundubile is the Patriotic Front's former leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, standing for the NRPUP with the backing of the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance. In other words, the opposition that split its vote in 2021 has consolidated behind one challenger — and the announced figures show the effect, with the top two taking almost 98 per cent of the vote between them.

When will Zambia know the final result?

The answer is the 72-hour window. The Constitution gives the ECZ 72 hours from the close of polling to declare a presidential result, and the commission has applied that clock from the close of the final polling stations early on Friday. Evidence of irregularities can then go to the Constitutional Court by petition after the declaration.

Sources

Electoral Commission of Zambia: official 2026 results portal and commission statements and announcements. Kwacha News: polling-day report, the 14-candidate field, the burial row that shaped the race and how the courts prepared for disputes.