Zambia's president re-elected to 2nd term following election-night violence

China and the U.S. have been competing for access to the copper-rich nation's critical minerals

Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema was re-elected for a second 5-year term, but the opposition leader put in an unexpectedly strong showing, capitalizing on public frustration with lingering hardships despite an economic turnaround.

Results released by the election commission in the early hours of Tuesday morning showed that Hichilema received roughly 60 per cent of valid votes, compared with 38 per cent for his main challenger, Brian Mundubile.

"I therefore declare Hichilema Hakainde S to be president-elect of the Republic of Zambia this 18th day of August, 2026," commission chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis said.

It was Hichilema's seventh run for the presidency — and he was widely expected to win due to the advantages of incumbency — while it was Mundubile's first bid to become head of state.

Hichilema, 64, campaigned on his economic record since taking charge during a pandemic-era debt crisis in 2021. Copper-rich Zambia has been a focus of competition between China and the United States for its critical minerals.

Chaotic aftermath

After a relatively quiet run-up to the August 13 vote, tensions escalated quickly.

International observers, including the European Union, said the election was largely peaceful, but said the "broader electoral process took place in an environment that limited fundamental freedoms."

"Late legal changes, legal uncertainty, and unequal campaign conditions distorted the playing field," said Michael McNamara, chief of the EU observation mission.

On the night of the election, authorities arrested 11 people, including leading opposition figures, in a raid that involved an exchange of gunfire while Mundubile was present. The next day, the electoral commission suspended vote-counting for hours due to reports of violence against polling staff and the theft of ballot papers.

Mundubile said he had received information about the possible alteration of results forms from polling stations and called for an urgent independent investigation, though Hichilema's camp said he was lying.

In a pastoral statement, the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed concern over the deployment of the army during the vote counting

"The maintenance of order during elections is constitutionally and statutorily the responsibility of the Zambia Police Service," the bishops said.

The opposition is not expected to accept the results and could lodge a legal challenge, though it is unlikely to be successful, said Greg Musiker, Zambia analyst at advisory firm Signal Risk.

"While localized political violence is possible in the coming days, widespread unrest is not expected," he said.

With files from The Associated Press