Zambia’s opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema took an early lead against President Edgar Lungu as results from Thursday’s presidential poll started trickling in on Saturday.
According to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) leader had amassed 449,699 votes against Lungu’s 266,202 after ballots from 31 of the country‘s 156 constituencies had been counted.
Some of the constituencies where Hichelema won were considered to be strongholds of Lungu’s Patriotic Front.
The final outcome is set be announced within 72 hours of the last polling station’s closing time. However, voting at some polling stations went beyond the 7pm closing time on election day on Thursday.
Some polling stations closed as late as 5am on Friday, meaning that Zambians would have to wait as late as next Monday morning to know the final results of the elections.
Hundreds of impatient UPND supporters took to the streets of the capital Lusaka on Saturday, demanding that at the ECZ speeds up the process.
JN/APA