European Union demands detailed results for Zambia elections

The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) has called for the publication of detailed, polling-station-level results following the elections in Zambia. The EU warned that irregularities in the vote-counting process “worsened significantly” after a several-hour suspension of the count on Friday.

The Zambia Electoral Commission (ECZ) had previously suspended the count due to violent incidents against electoral staff, including the theft of ballot boxes. EU observers reported that following the suspension, the performance of the results tabulation declined. Observers noted prolonged pauses in nearly half of the polling stations, where staff appeared to wait for instructions from the ECZ central headquarters before announcing results.

Additionally, the EU EOM described a “strong military presence” following the suspension as “intimidating,” which led political party representatives and citizen observers to abandon voting centers. Despite these concerns, the ECZ declared incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema the winner with 60.5% of the vote, ahead of rival Brian Mundubile.