Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema was re-elected for a second 5-year term, according to results released by the election commission on August 18, 2026. Hichilema received roughly 60 per cent of valid votes, compared with 38 per cent for his main challenger, Brian Mundubile, as reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

Economic Recovery and International Interest

Hichilema, 64, campaigned on his economic record since taking charge during a pandemic-era debt crisis in 2021; Copper-rich Zambia has been a focus of competition between China and the United States for its critical minerals, according to the CBC. Hichilema was elected in 2021 and oversaw the restructuring of Zambia’s sovereign debt while reining in inflation and stabilizing the currency, according to lanacion.com.ar.

Thursday’s election was seen as a test of Hichilema’s economic recovery plan after the copper-rich nation was plunged into a debt crisis in 2020, according to lanacion.com.ar.

Election Observers and Concerns

International observers, including the European Union, said the election was largely peaceful, but said the ‘broader electoral process took place in an environment that limited fundamental freedoms.’ ‘Late legal changes, legal uncertainty, and unequal campaign conditions distorted the playing field,’ said Michael McNamara, chief of the EU observation mission, according to both sources.

In a pastoral statement, the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed concern over the deployment of the army during the vote counting. ‘The maintenance of order during elections is constitutionally and statutorily the responsibility of the Zambia Police Service,’ the bishops said, according to lanacion.com.ar.

Chaotic Aftermath and Controversy

After a relatively quiet run-up to the August 13 vote, tensions escalated quickly. On the night of the election, authorities arrested 11 people, including leading opposition figures, in a raid that involved an exchange of gunfire while Mundubile was present, according to the CBC. It was Hichilema’s seventh run for the presidency, and he was widely expected to win due to the advantages of incumbency, while it was Mundubile’s first bid to become head of state.

Hichilema’s second term will likely continue to face scrutiny, especially given the controversy surrounding the election process — his opposition leader put in an unexpectedly strong showing, capitalizing on public frustration with lingering hardships despite an economic turnaround, according to the CBC.