Kathmandu— International observers are raising concerns about intimidation, abductions, and violence surrounding Zambia's presidential election, after vote counting was briefly suspended on Friday amid escalating tensions at polling stations. The suspension followed reports of attacks against electoral staff and alleged theft of ballot papers in the Thursday polls, where incumbent Hakainde Hichilema is seeking a second term against challenger Brian Mundubile. While authorities claim voting largely proceeded peacefully, observer missions from the European Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have urged all parties to de-escalate inflammatory rhetoric as results are tallied in Lusaka.

Counting Suspended, Security Concerns Raised

Vote counting was temporarily halted on Friday after reports of violence surfaced. The Electoral Commission of Zambia stated the “security threat to the electoral process had been contained” before resuming the count hours later. Opposition candidate Brian Mundubile expressed concern over the suspension, stating it “raises legitimate fears” and could “create an opportunity for interference with manipulation of results.” Mark Simuuwe, campaign media director for President Hichilema, dismissed the allegations, accusing Mundubile’s party of attempting to cause “disruption” and claiming the results would be “legitimate”.

Observer Missions Report Intimidation

Samuel Tembenu, who leads the SADC observer mission, noted his team was unable to observe counting during the suspension period. He urged all parties to remain calm, adding that the mission had received reports – though could not independently verify them – of intimidation, assault, abduction, and property damage across five provinces, including at least one reported fatality. Michael McNamara, chief observer for the European Union’s mission, called on Zambian authorities to fully explain the reasoning behind the suspension, noting the election took place against a backdrop of limited democratic space.

Allegations of Irregularities Surface

Brian Mundubile has claimed victory based on his party's own tally and alleges irregularities including military personnel taking control of tallying centers in Mufulira and missing result forms. He also claims officials in North-Western Province were instructed to halt the release of results. Meanwhile, President Hichilema has refrained from declaring victory but stated his campaign is seeing “encouraging” results as official counting continues. Zambian police have reported nine arrests related to the killing of a polling agent outside Lusaka on election day.

Partial Results Show Hichilema Leading

The Electoral Commission of Zambia released partial results late Saturday, based on counts from 49 of 226 constituencies. Hakainde Hichilema currently leads with 438,708 votes (52.6 percent), followed by Brian Mundubile with 351,281 votes (42.1 percent). Kelvin Bwalya of the Zambia Must Prosper party trails far behind with 3,965 votes. The commission cautioned that these figures are not final and will issue another update on Sunday morning.

Police and soldiers have been deployed in parts of Lusaka as vote counting continues, and it remains unclear whether Friday’s suspension will delay the announcement of final results.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.