Zambia President Hichilema re-elected for second term following contentious polls
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has been re-elected for a second term, securing 61.4% of the vote in a contentious election. The process faced delays and security concerns following reports of violence and the arrest of opposition figures, though the government maintains the election was a test of its economic recovery plan.
Why it matters
The election results are critical for the stability and economic trajectory of Zambia, a major copper-producing nation in Africa.
Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema has been re-elected for a second five-year term, the Electoral Commission of Zambia announced early Tuesday (August 18, 2026).
He was declared the outright winner of last Thursday's (August 13) presidential election without the need for a run-off, having secured 61.4% of the five million votes cast.
President Hichilema's victory follows a closely-watched election which saw vote counting suspended last Friday (August 14), and then restarted hours later under heightened security, after the commission said there had been attacks against some polling station officials and ballot papers had been stolen.
The government also confirmed that several leading opposition figures were arrested on the night of the elections, with police accusing them of posing a threat to state security.
According to the commission, President Hichilema won with 2,965,326 votes and his closest competitor was opposition leader Brian Mundubile, who won 1,856,217 votes, which was about 38% votes.
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