President Hakainde Hichilema has been declared the winner of Zambia’s 2026 presidential election, securing a second term with 2,965,326 votes against NRPUP candidate Brian Mundubile’s 1,856,217, avoiding the need for a run-off.
An Outright First-Round Win
Electoral Commission of Zambia Chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis, serving as Returning Officer, officially declared Hichilema president-elect in the early hours of August 18, with the declaration based on results from all 226 constituencies. She noted that results from some polling stations in five constituencies were still being finalized due to discrepancies at one station where ballot boxes had been tampered with, though this did not affect the overall declaration. Hichilema secured just over 61 percent of the vote, comfortably clearing the 50-percent-plus-one threshold needed to avoid a second round.
Citizens First candidate Harry Kalaba finished third with 19,070 votes. Ten other candidates also contested the race, including independent Given Katuta, the only woman on the presidential ballot.
A Difficult Final Stretch
The declaration follows a turbulent final week of counting, which included a temporary nationwide suspension of results announcements on August 14 over reports of violence and stolen ballot materials, before counting resumed under heightened security. Government also confirmed the arrest of several senior opposition figures on election night, with police citing state security concerns, while opposition supporters and some international observers raised separate allegations regarding the conduct of security forces during the count.
International observers, including the European Union’s mission, described the vote itself as largely peaceful, while noting that the broader campaign environment had been shaped by late legal changes and uneven campaign conditions.
Hichilema’s Message to the Nation
In a statement following the declaration, Hichilema thanked Zambians for the mandate and extended a message to those who backed other candidates, saying government would continue working to ensure all Zambians benefit from ongoing development. He said his campaign had taken him across all 116 districts of the country, and framed the election as evidence that Zambia remains a nation that resolves its differences at the ballot box.
Sources: ZNBC — HH Secures Second Term in Office · Associated Press, via WTOP News
