Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema has been re-elected for a second five-year term, the Electoral Commission of Zambia announced early Tuesday (August 18, 2026).
He was declared the outright winner of last Thursday’s (August 13) presidential election without the need for a run-off, having secured 61.4% of the five million votes cast. President Hichilema’s victory follows a closely-watched election which saw vote counting suspended last Friday (August 14), and then restarted hours later under heightened security, after the commission said there had been attacks against some polling station officials and ballot papers had been stolen. The government also confirmed that several leading opposition figures were arrested on the night of the elections, with police accusing them of posing a threat to state security.
Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema casts his vote at a polling station in Lusaka, Zambia. File | Photo Credit: AP President Hichilema won with 2,965,326 votes and his closest competitor was opposition leader Brian Mundubile, who won 1,856,217 votes, which was about 38% votes, according to the commission. In a statement issued Tuesday (August 18), Hichilema welcomed the results and thanked Zambians for the reelection, but also reached out to those who voted for the opposition.
“I therefore declare, Hichilema Hakainde S, to be President-elect of the Republic of Zambia this 18th day of August, 2026,” commission chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis said.
