Lungu’s Patriotic Front (PF) has since been hit by splits, with influential figures like former vice president Guy Scott, former defence minister Geoffrey Mwamba and Sata’s son Mulenga all defecting to Hichilema’s United Party for National Development (UPND). “Obviously this is raising a lot of anxiety but I am still confident that Edgar Lungu will win”, said James Bulaya, a 40-year-old mechanic.
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Lungu took power only past year when he beat Hichilema by less than 28,000 votes in a snap election following the death in office of president Michael Sata.
The vote-counting process after Thursday’s election took days and prompted opposition allegations of irregularities.
Zambia’s incumbent President, Edgar Lungu has won the Presidential elections in the country according to officials reports released today.
The actual percentage scored by President Lungu is 50.3%.
The victor of Thursday’s election must get more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff.
The election is a test of stability in one of Africa’s best-functioning multi-party democracies.
But student Harrison Simenda, 24, who supports Hichilema, popularly known as HH, said: “They have stolen this election from HH but they will not enjoy it because I see very tough times ahead for our economy”.
Lungu’s PF recorded a 1 860 877 while Hichilema managed 1 760 347 in the fiercest poll in the Southern African country’s 52-year history.
The ECZ had hoped to have final results from the elections – in which Zambians also chose members of parliament, mayors and local councilors and decided on proposed constitutional changes – by early Sunday.
The additional results were from the 12 constituencies of Kabombo, Membeshi, Chipata Central, Lusaka Central, Lunga, Pemba, Luangeni, Chifubu, Solwezi East, Manyinga, Malole, and Nalikwanda.
The government closed the country’s largest privately owned newspaper, The Post, in June over unpaid taxes of about $6 million, but the paper’s owner said it was meant to silence him before the vote.
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Mr Lungu defeated Mr Hichilema in the previous election, last year, by less than 28,000 votes. In the general elections on Thursday, however, the margin of victory was about 200,000 votes.
