Zambia's Electoral Commission has resumed counting votes from Thursday's general election after suspending the process nationwide amid reports of violence targeting election staff and the alleged theft of marked ballot papers from ballot boxes. The commission lifted the suspension on Friday evening after consulting with law enforcement agencies and conducting a security review, saying in a statement that "the security threat to the electoral process has been contained and the necessary measures have been put in place to enable the process to continue."

The vote, held on Thursday across the copper-rich southern African nation, saw more than 8.7 million registered voters choose a president, 226 members of parliament — an expanded legislature — and local councillors. Counting began immediately after polls closed on Thursday evening but was halted before any official results had been declared. Commission chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis said the suspension would be reviewed within 24 hours, and first presidential results were subsequently expected at 10:00 p.m. local time Friday, with the commission targeting a full announcement by end of Sunday.

The central contest is between incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema, who has been in office since 2021 and is seeking a second five-year term, and opposition challenger Brian Mundubile, a former minister under the previous Patriotic Front government. Even before official results were declared, both camps staked out confident positions: Hichilema said his campaign was receiving "encouraging results" and urged supporters to remain calm, while Mundubile went further, claiming outright victory based on his party's parallel voter tabulation — a count compiled from results collected at polling stations across the country. Mundubile also raised "grave concern" over the suspension, warning that delays could create opportunities for interference and calling for polling-station-by-polling-station publication of results and investigations into reported incidents, including alleged military presence at tallying centres.

Thursday's polling day was largely peaceful, with long queues reported at many stations and only isolated procedural issues flagged by civil society monitors. International observers were present throughout. The campaign nonetheless unfolded against a tense backdrop: authorities arrested several individuals accused of attempting to disrupt the electoral system, including former senior government officials, and there were broader concerns about political freedoms.

The election result carries significant weight both domestically and internationally. Hichilema's government oversaw a major debt restructuring and restored an International Monetary Fund programme after Zambia defaulted on its sovereign debt under the previous administration, returning the economy to growth. However, poverty remains entrenched — more than 70 percent of the population lives on less than $3 a day, according to the World Bank — and unemployment and rising food prices dampened his standing with many voters. Zambia has maintained a reputation as one of Africa's more stable democracies, with peaceful transfers of power since the return to multiparty elections in 1991, making the handling of the current dispute and the final result closely watched across the continent.