Election workers count ballots at a polling station in Lusaka, South Africa, on Thursday. The electoral commission has suspended the tallying of votes less than 24 hours after polls closed.Alfonso Nqunjana/The Associated Press
Zambia’s electoral commission has suspended its vote counting in Thursday’s election, citing reports of violent attacks on election workers and the alleged theft of marked ballots.
The suspension has triggered widespread concern about the election in Zambia, traditionally one of Africa’s most stable democracies. Canadian mining companies are the biggest private investors in the country.
“In view of the security situation and continued threats of violence, the Commission has with immediate effect suspended the counting and announcement of results throughout the country,” Mwangala Zaloumis, chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia, said in a statement on Friday, less than 24 hours after polling stations had closed.
There were unconfirmed reports that four Zambian cabinet ministers had lost their parliamentary seats in the election.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, elected in 2021, was widely seen as the front-runner in the election, but a strong showing by the main opposition candidate, Brian Mundubile, has tightened the race.