Zambia: Hakainde Hichilema takes early presidential election lead

Opposition candidate tallied 171,604 votes versus the 110,178 garnered by incumbent Edgar Lungu.

Zambia’s opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has taken an early lead in the country’s presidential election over incumbent Edgar Lungu, according to the first results from the electoral commission on Saturday. Hichilema tallied 171,604 votes versus the 110,178 garnered by Lungu in the results for 15 of the southern African nation’s 156 constituencies. Those 15 constituencies include perceived Lungu strongholds, suggesting that Hichilema has gained ground since the last elections in 2016, when he lost by a slim margin in a contested vote marred by allegations of rigging by Lungu.