Overview
- Voting opened Thursday with about 8.7 million registered voters choosing between President Hakainde Hichilema and challenger Brian Mundubile.
- Mundubile says the vote will not be free or fair and accuses police of interfering, of having his phones and passport seized, of being denied flight permits, and of unequal access to campaign resources.
- The Electoral Commission of Zambia and police limited campaigns to one five-day visit per province to prevent clashes and previously suspended Mundubile's campaign for a month citing supporter violence.
- Hichilema is presented as the favorite on the strength of debt restructuring and a copper-led economic rebound while many Zambians continue to face high poverty and rising living costs.
- About 100 EU observers are monitoring the polls and rights groups warn of a tighter political space; the electoral commission expects to announce results within days and a runoff will follow if no candidate wins an outright majority.