President Hakainde Hichilema appears to be leading the Zambian general election with nearly 59 percent of the vote counted, putting him on track for a possible outright win. His main opponent, Brian Mundubile of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity, trails with about 33 percent. A candidate must exceed 50 percent to avoid a runoff, and final results are expected within days.

The vote began on Thursday and more than half of the country's constituencies had reported results by Sunday. The counting was suspended for about six hours on Friday after reports of violence against polling staff and allegations that ballots were stolen. The European Union observer mission described the pause as disproportionate.

A polling agent was killed near Lusaka and nine suspects were arrested. The opposition reported that armed personnel, which it says were members of the army, entered Mundubile's home on Friday night, fired live ammunition, wounded a member of parliament and removed several individuals whose whereabouts remain unconfirmed. Mundubile called the incident unacceptable and appealed for restraint, while the opposition urged urgent regional and international engagement.

United Party for National Development officials have said the opposition is exaggerating irregularities to cast doubt on the result. The EU mission noted that the election was competitive but tilted toward the incumbent, citing heavy bias in state media coverage and the blending of government activities with campaigning.

Zambia has transferred power peacefully through elections since 1991, and Hichilema won a landslide victory in 2021. His current term has seen economic growth, though more than 70 percent of the population lives on less than $3 a day, according to the World Bank.