President Edgar Lungu was leading in Zambia’s presidential election on Monday, with 85 percent of the constituencies counted, but his main rival demanded a recount in a key district, citing irregularities.
Lungu faces a stiff challenge from United Party for National Development (UPND) leader, Hakainde Hichilema, who accused him of running the economy down, a charge the president has rejected.
With 50.14 percent, Lungu was ahead of Hichilema, with 47.7 percent, after results were collated from 132 of 156 constituencies in the August 11 voting, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) told a news conference.
But Hichilema told a separate media briefing his party wanted a recount of votes in Lusaka district “for the sake of free, fair, credible and transparent elections.”
“The question is will the elections be defined as free and fair, transparent and credible in this environment? My answer is no,” Reuters quoted Hichilema as saying at the briefing.
“Zambia needs to remain peaceful. Anybody seeking political office wants to make sure that they take over a country that is peaceful and stable so that you can implement your vision.”
The winner of the presidential election in one of the most stable democracies in Africa must get more than half the vote, failing which the top two candidates face a rerun.
The UPND said on Saturday that data from its own parallel counting system showed Hichilema beating Lungu “with a clear margin,” based on about 80 percent of votes counted.
