Lusaka, Zambia (Running Africa) — Zambian opposition leader Brian Mundubile has announced plans to challenge the results of the August 13 presidential election in court, escalating a political dispute after President Hakainde Hichilema secured a second term with about 60% of the vote.
Mundubile alleges his campaign documented serious irregularities during voting and in the counting, transmission and declaration of election results. He says the evidence will form the basis of a legal challenge against the outcome.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) declared Hichilema the winner with approximately 60% of the vote, compared with 38% for Mundubile.
The legal challenge comes amid heightened political and security tensions following an election that was largely peaceful on voting day but later overshadowed by arrests, allegations of intimidation and the killing of an opposition lawmaker.
Brian Mundubile Plans Court Challenge Over Zambia Election Results
Mundubile says he will turn to the courts to contest the official Zambia presidential election results, arguing that alleged irregularities affected several stages of the electoral process.
His claims extend beyond voting itself to the counting and transmission of results and their eventual declaration by the electoral commission.
Details of the evidence Mundubile intends to submit have not yet been fully disclosed, and his allegations remain subject to judicial scrutiny.
The court challenge could open another chapter in an election that has become increasingly contentious since polls closed.
Hichilema Declared Winner With About 60% of Vote
The Electoral Commission declared Hichilema the winner of the 2026 Zambia presidential election, securing him a second five-year term.
The president received around 60% of the vote, while Mundubile finished with approximately 38%.
Hichilema’s victory gave him a clear numerical advantage, but Mundubile maintains that questions surrounding the conduct of the election require independent examination.
The opposition leader is now seeking to use Zambia’s judicial system to challenge the declared result.
Opposition Alleges Intimidation and Campaign Restrictions
Although election day itself was broadly peaceful, the opposition has alleged that its campaign faced intimidation and political restrictions during the electoral period.
International election observers also raised concerns about aspects of the political environment, including conditions surrounding the campaign.
The allegations have added to scrutiny over the credibility of the wider process, even as the official results gave Hichilema a decisive victory.
Mundubile has argued that his legal challenge is necessary to address those concerns and establish whether the election met required standards.
Opposition MP Mutotwe Kafwaya Killed After Election
The electoral dispute is unfolding against an increasingly serious security backdrop.
Authorities confirmed that opposition MP and former cabinet minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was shot dead during a security-force raid at Mundubile’s home a day after the election.
Several opposition figures were also arrested on election night over alleged threats to state security.
The circumstances surrounding the raid and Kafwaya’s death have intensified tensions between the government and opposition, with calls growing for accountability and transparency.
Mundubile, meanwhile, has been speaking from an undisclosed location and says he remains under protection because of security concerns.
Vote Counting Was Suspended After Violence and Ballot Theft Reports
The election process had already encountered disruption before the final results were announced.
Vote counting was temporarily suspended following reports of attacks against polling personnel and the theft of marked ballot papers.
The suspension increased uncertainty surrounding the process before counting eventually resumed and Hichilema was declared the winner.
Mundubile has cited concerns surrounding the counting and transmission of results as part of the broader case he intends to take before the courts.
UN Calls on Zambia to Uphold Due Process
The political fallout has also attracted international attention.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk has called on Zambian authorities to end arbitrary arrests and ensure that due process is respected as tensions continue following the election.
Zambia has long been regarded as one of Southern Africa’s more competitive multiparty democracies, with a history of peaceful transfers of presidential power.
The handling of Mundubile’s election petition, opposition arrests and investigations surrounding post-election violence will therefore be closely watched.
For Hichilema, the official result has delivered a second term. For Mundubile, however, the Zambia election 2026 is not yet over.
The dispute is now moving from the ballot box to the courts, where the opposition will be required to substantiate its allegations as Zambia confronts one of the most significant tests of its democratic institutions in recent years.
