Observers say Zambia's vote marred by intimidation, counting pause

International observers of Zambia's elections said Saturday the poll was marred by claims of intimidation, abductions and an hours-long pause in the vote count.

OBSERVER missions reported widespread intimidation, violence and abductions during last week’s Zambian elections. Calls for a toning down of rhetoric came from observers, including those from the Southern African Development Community and the European Union, as Thursday’s votes continued to be counted. Vote counting wa

Vote counting in Thursday's presidential polls were briefly suspended amid security threats to the electoral process.

Zambia resumed vote counting Friday after a nationwide suspension over alleged attacks on polling staff and stolen marked ballot papers. The halt came a day after presidential and parliamentary elections, with opposition leader Brian Mundubile already claiming victory. Sishuwa Sishuwa, Senior Lecturer at Stellenbosch U

Vote counting in Zambia’s presidential election was suspended and then restarted under heightened security over reports of violence against election officials and the theft of ballot boxes

Vote counting suspended then restarted in Zambia election after attacks at polling stations  AP News

Zambia resumes vote counting after election officials attacked  Reuters

Zambia's electoral commission has resumed the counting of votes from Thursday's presidential, parliamentary and local elections after it was halted over alleged attacks on polling staff.

The electoral commission said violence had "resulted in the theft of marked ballot papers".

Suspension has triggered concern about the vote in the country, traditionally one of Africa’s most stable democracies

While the counting was suspended, riot police and army vehicles deployed to parts of the capital, Lusaka, including the main vote tallying center, though there were no immediate reports of any major unrest.

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

With the 2026 elections approaching, the Superior Electoral Court has strengthened the security and oversight mechanisms of the electronic voting system. The court’s Secretary of Information Technology, Júlio Valente, explained that the voting process and the tabulation of results are structured in a decentralized and