Lusaka [Zambia], August 18: Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema has extended his lead in the country's general election as vote counting continues.
With 71 percent of constituencies announcing their counts on Monday, Hichilema was reported to have won nearly 62 percent of the vote, up from 59 percent on Sunday, according to the southern African country's electoral commission.
The count puts the incumbent on course for a first-round victory, in an election overshadowed by opposition claims of increased government repression. The home of Brian Mundubile of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) was targeted by an armed raid, and several opposition members have been arrested, according to police.
Mundubile, Hichilema's nearest challenger, was reported on Monday to have seen his share of the vote drop by 3 percentage points to 36 percent.
A candidate needs more than 50 percent to avoid a run-off. Final results are expected in the coming days.
Hichilema's lead is being weighed against a campaign that international monitors have already called unfair, and a count that has been far from smooth.
Vote tallying was suspended for roughly six hours on Friday after reports of violence against polling staff and allegations that marked ballots had been stolen, a pause the European Union's observer mission described as "disproportionate", since only a small fraction of Zambia's polling stations were affected.
The electoral commission said the threat to the count had since been brought under control.
Source: Qatar Tribune