battling it out to secure at least 50 percent of votes, plus one extra. If none of the candidates secure such a majority, a run-off election will be held within 37 days of the initial ballot, when the two leading candidates will contest to lead the country for a five-year term. Although polls were due to close at 6pm on Thursday, a huge voter turnout, together with restrictions on internet access and violence in three regions caused polling to continue overnight, as people who queued for hours were given the opportunity to cast their ballots until 5am on Friday.
According to the first results issued by the electoral Commission early on Saturday, Zambia’s opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has taken an early lead over incumbent Edgar Lungu. Accordingly, Hichilema maintained a lead of more than 61,000 against Lungu, who garnered 110,178 votes. These results were issued after votes were tallied in 15 out of 156 constituencies in Zambia.
