Zambia suspends vote counting in election over reports of violence and the theft of ballot papers

Mundubile said he had received information that members of the military had taken control of vote counting stations in at least one town and boxes containing ballots had been taken away from stations in other places. He did not provide any evidence for that claim.

There was no sign of any unrest in the capital, Lusaka.

Zambia, a former British colony, has held largely peaceful elections since it returned to a multiparty democracy in 1991 but there was some criticism of President Hakainde Hichilema ahead of Thursday’s election by the opposition and independent rights groups, which said his government was squeezing dissent.

Mundubile’s alliance had accused the government of being behind a law enforcement agency raid on its offices days before the election and claimed the action was designed to hurt the alliance’s election campaign.

The election in the copper-rich southern African country saw Hichilema seeking a second term in office. Results were initially expected to be announced on Monday, according to the electoral commission, though it said they might come sooner.

Hichilema ran against 13 other candidates including Mundubile, the leader of an alliance of opposition parties who is seen as Hichilema’s strongest challenger.

Zambians also voted for members of Parliament and local government councilors. About 8 million people in the country of 22 million were registered to vote at more than 13,500 polling stations.

The election was largely seen as a test of Hichilema’s economic reforms, and whether they were enough to overcome widespread frustration over the cost of living. Hichilema stabilized the economy after a debt crisis in 2020, but critics say those reforms haven’t yet benefited ordinary Zambians struggling with a high cost of living and electricity shortages.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

The Associated Press

by The Canadian Press

Zambia suspends vote counting in election over reports of violence and the theft of ballot papers

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