Zambia resumes vote count after pause over violence

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

Zambia · POLITICS Key Facts —Vote count halted: The Electoral Commission of Zambia suspended counting and result announcements nationwide on Friday, 14 August 2026, citing violence against poll staff and theft of marked ballot papers. —Legal basis cited: Chief Electoral Officer Brown Kasaro invoked Section 67(3) of the

Zambia has resumed vote counting after a nationwide suspension over election-related violence, with the Electoral Commission saying security threats have been contained. The first presidential results are expected at 10:00 p.m. local time, or 2000 GMT.

Earlier, the electoral commission suspended vote counting after alleged attacks on polling staff and the theft of marked ballot papers

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".

Zambia’s electoral commission resumed counting ballots in the country’s presidential election, after it said a security threat to the process was contained.

[263Chat] Zambia's presidential election entered a tense phase on Friday after opposition leader Brian Mundubile claimed victory, while incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema stopped short of declaring a win and said his camp was receiving "encouraging results" as official counting continued.

Zambia's electoral commission on Friday suspended vote counting nationwide.

The electoral commission for the southern African nation said poll workers had been attacked and ballots had been stolen as both top candidates claimed leads.

The Zambian commission indicated it would review the decision to suspend the vote count in 24 hours

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

The Electoral Commission of Zambia said it was suspending the counting immediately "in view of the security situation and continued threats of violence." It did not say who might be responsible for the alleged theft.

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

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

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