By Lovemore Lubinda
Zambia’s democracy ground to an abrupt halt Thursday as the Electoral Commission of Zambia ordered a nationwide freeze on counting and announcing election results, triggering fury from the opposition, appeals for calm from the presidency, and warnings from analysts that the country is teetering on the edge of a credibility crisis.
In a late afternoon statement, ECZ Chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis said the Commission could no longer guarantee the safety of staff or ballot materials in the face of escalating violence. With immediate effect, she announced, all tabulation and public announcements were suspended across the country.
“The violence is targeted at poll staff and in some instances has resulted in the theft of marked ballot papers in ballot boxes,” Zaloumis said. “In view of the security situation and continued threats of violence, the Commission has suspended the counting and announcement of results throughout the country in accordance with Section 67 (3) of the Electoral Process Act No. 35 of 2016. The Commission will review the suspension within 24 hours.”
The Commission did not identify which districts were affected. It said only that protecting personnel and preserving the integrity of materials were the priorities. With 8.7 million registered voters and tallies underway in all 156 constituencies, the decision has frozen results that many constituencies had already finalized.
“A DANGEROUS VACUUM”
Within hours, opposition presidential candidate Brian Mundubile went live on video, delivering a blistering rebuke and declaring that the pause itself was more dangerous than the violence it was meant to stop.
“Suspending vote counting and announcement creates a dangerous vacuum in the country,” said Mundubile, leader of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity. “At a time when citizens have waited patiently to hear the outcome of their vote, any interruption without full openness breeds suspicion, rumor and instability.”
Mundubile accused the ruling United Party for National Development of using the crisis as cover.
“The UPND knows it has lost this election. That is why this suspension creates an opportunity for interfering with the results,” he said.
He did not provide evidence for the claim in the video, but said his party’s own parallel tabulation, built from figures transmitted by agents at polling stations, showed NRPUP winning both the presidency and a parliamentary majority.
The opposition leader also rejected the idea that isolated unrest should shut down the entire national process.
“We condemn violence wherever it occurs. But the act of violence in a few isolated areas must not be used to justify the suspension of the vote counting and announcement process countrywide. The majority of polling stations were peaceful. The majority of Zambians voted peacefully. Their will must be respected.”
DEMAND FOR RADICAL TRANSPARENCY
Mundubile’s central demand was simple: open everything. He called on domestic and international observers to escalate their scrutiny and on ECZ to publish results at the most granular level possible once counting resumes.
“To our observers, your role has never been more important. Watch closely. Demand access. Demand that every ballot box, every GEN 20 form, every tally sheet is accounted for,” he said.
“If the official results differ from the results recorded at polling stations, the answer is not secrecy. The answer is transparency. Publish the results polling station by polling station, constituency by constituency. Allow party agents and observers to reconcile what was announced at the polling station with what appears at the totalling centre.”
He urged the Commission to lock down all materials, protect the chain of custody, and let accredited agents resume work without obstruction. Turning to the security forces, he delivered a pointed reminder: “Your loyalty is to the Constitution and the Republic of Zambia, not to any individual or political party. Protect the people, protect electoral officials, protect the materials. Do not interfere with the democratic process.”
To his own supporters, Mundubile pleaded for restraint. “Protecting the vote does not mean violence. It means documenting results, preserving copies of lawful records, reporting irregularities through proper channels, and insisting peacefully on transparency.”
PRESIDENT URGES PATIENCE, ANALYSTS WARN OF CRISIS
President Hakainde Hichilema did not directly address the suspension in his own statement, but called for national calm as the count continues behind closed doors.
“Let us remain peaceful, patient and patriotic as we await the official outcome from those entrusted with managing the vote,” Hichilema said.
The measured tone did little to ease nerves. Political analyst Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa said the next 24 hours would define the election’s legitimacy.
“The credibility of this election now rests on three things: the safety of staff, the integrity of ballot papers, and the transparency of what happens next,” Sishuwa said. “The suspension is understandable on security grounds, but Zambians have a constitutional right to a timely and verifiable outcome. Any perception that the pause is being used to alter results will do lasting damage.”
The Law Society of Zambia echoed that warning. In a statement, the professional body said any suspension must be “narrow, proportionate, and time-bound,” and that citizens have a right to have votes counted and announced without undue delay. It urged ECZ to issue regular updates and to guarantee observer access when the process restarts.
WHAT THE LAW SAYS, AND WHAT’S AT STAKE
Under Zambian law, the Electoral Commission has 72 hours from the close of polls to declare a presidential winner. The Act also allows it to pause proceedings where staff or materials are at risk, provided it reviews the decision promptly. ECZ says that review will happen within 24 hours.
For an international audience, the stakes are clear. Zambia has built a reputation in Southern Africa for competitive elections and peaceful transfers of power, most recently in 2021 when Hichilema defeated an incumbent. That reputation is now on trial.
The context matters. This was the first presidential vote since 2021, and both the ruling party and the opposition entered it claiming momentum. Allegations have already surfaced from both sides: Mundubile cited reports of military presence at totalling centres in Mufulira, missing GEN 20 forms, and ballot boxes moved outside procedure in Chawama, Matero, and parts of North-Western and Northern provinces. ECZ has not confirmed those claims, citing the ongoing security review.
A NATION WAITING
In Lusaka, Ndola and Livingstone on Thursday evening, citizens gathered around radios and phones, trading unverified tallies and rumors. Civil society groups called for calm and for the Commission to communicate more frequently during the freeze.
Mundubile closed his address with a warning and a plea.
“Zambia is bigger than all of us. No temporary political advantage is worth damaging the institutions upon which our democracy depends. Let us defend the sovereign will of the Zambian people peacefully and lawfully.”
For now, the ballots sit in sealed rooms under guard. The tally sheets sit unsigned. And 8.7 million voters wait to learn whether their choice will be announced with the transparency they demand, or delayed in a way that deepens doubt.
The Commission has promised a decision within a day. Whether that decision restores confidence — or confirms the opposition’s worst fears — will determine not just who leads Zambia, but whether Zambians still believe the process itself is worth defending.
