Zambia election: Hichilema heads for victory amid arrests

Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema moved closer to a second term Monday as results from the August 13 election showed him on course for a first-round victory, while opposition arrests and a temporary halt to vote counting clouded the process.

With more than two-thirds of the 226 constituencies counted, Hichilema had 62 percent of the vote. Opposition leader Brian Mundubile had 36 percent, while 12 other candidates shared less than two percent. Results from 65 constituencies were still to come.

A candidate needs more than 50 percent to win outright or face a run-off.

Mundubile, a former government minister who entered the race in May, alleged Monday without providing evidence that documents listing results had been tampered with, putting the “integrity” of the count at risk. He also alleged that officials in Southern Province were pressured to modify figures.

Hours earlier, Mundubile's NRPUP party rejected government claims that its members were involved in militia or insurgent activity. The government said late Sunday that police had arrested 11 people, including six opposition figures, in a raid against “militia activity”. It said those arrested had high-grade military weapons, ammunition and other materials for use in armed insurrection.

The NRPUP said the raid took place at Mundubile's home, shots were fired and a parliamentarian was hit. It rejected as false the government's claims that the party, its leadership or its members were involved in insurgency, militia activity or related conduct.

The electoral commission suspended vote counting for about six hours Friday after reports of violence against polling staff and the alleged theft of ballot papers. Counting resumed after the commission said the security threat had been contained, but it has not said whether the ballots were recovered.

International observer missions, including the European Union, criticised the pause as risking the credibility of the process and voter confidence. They also warned in preliminary assessments that restrictions on the opposition during campaigning may have contributed to an uneven contest.

The vote is a test of Hichilema's first five years in office, during which Zambia's economy has returned to growth. Hichilema points to debt restructuring and lower inflation, while critics say the gains have not improved living standards for many people. The World Bank says more than 70 percent of Zambia's 22 million people live on less than $3 a day.