Overview
- Voting took place on Thursday and the Electoral Commission of Zambia halted nationwide counting on Friday after reports that polling staff faced targeted attacks and marked ballot papers were taken from boxes.
- Hours after the suspension the ECZ said the security threat had been contained and resumed counting the same day while beginning to release district-level figures.
- Opposition leader Brian Mundubile declared victory using his party’s parallel tally and alleged missing result forms and military involvement, creating a competing narrative to the ECZ’s process.
- International observer missions reported intimidation, abductions and procedural concerns, and the interior ministry said security agencies arrested several suspects accused of plotting interference, including former officials and a foreign national.
- The ECZ published a partial official batch showing Hakainde Hichilema leading and said it is verifying results with a final outcome expected by the commission’s next announcement on Monday.