The Electoral Commission of Zambia said on Friday it had resumed vote-counting after an earlier suspension prompted by reports of ballot paper theft and violence against election officials.
The Southern African country held presidential, parliamentary and local government elections on Thursday.
President Hakainde Hichilema is running for a second term after steering the major copper producer out of a debt crisis since taking office in 2021.
He is being challenged by 13 other candidates including Brian Mundubile, the leader of an alliance of opposition parties who is seen as Hichilema’s strongest challenger.
Hichilema, in an earlier post on X, had called for citizens to “remain peaceful, patient and patriotic as we await the official outcome from those entrusted with managing the vote.”
