About this election
Zambia holds its general election on Thursday 13 August 2026, a single polling day on which voters choose the President of the Republic, the 156 elected members of the National Assembly, and the country's mayors, council chairpersons and local-government councillors. It is the fourth general election under the "concurrent" model introduced by the 2016 constitution, which aligned the presidential, parliamentary and local contests on one date and a fixed five-year cycle. The 2026 vote will measure the record of President Hakainde Hichilema, whose United Party for National Development (UPND) swept to power in 2021, against an opposition reshaped by the upheaval within the former governing Patriotic Front.
Zambia elects its President by an absolute-majority system: a candidate must win more than 50% of valid votes to be elected in the first round; if no one does, a run-off between the two leading candidates is held within 37 days. This two-round rule, also introduced in 2016, replaced the previous first-past-the-post method under which presidents could win with a plurality. Crucially, each presidential candidate runs on a joint ticket with a named running mate who becomes Vice-President — there is no separate vice-presidential election. The National Assembly's 156 constituency members are elected by simple plurality (first-past-the-post) in single-member seats; a small number of additional members may be nominated by the President, and the Speaker is chosen separately. Elections are administered by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).
Zambia has been a multiparty democracy since 1991 and is often cited as one of Africa's more durable examples of peaceful, ballot-box transfers of power. In August 2021 Hakainde Hichilema — a businessman who had run for the presidency five times before — defeated the incumbent Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front (PF) in a landslide, riding discontent over the economy, debt and shrinking democratic space. The PF, which had governed since 2011 under Michael Sata and then Lungu, entered opposition and subsequently fractured amid leadership disputes; the death of former president Edgar Lungu in 2025 deepened the turmoil and left the succession to lead the main opposition unsettled going into 2026.
Economic management dominates Zambian politics. In November 2020 Zambia became the first African country to default on its sovereign debt during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Hichilema government has since negotiated a debt-restructuring deal with bilateral and private creditors under an International Monetary Fund programme. Copper — Zambia is one of Africa's largest producers — remains the backbone of the economy and of government revenue, and a long-running drought has crippled hydroelectric generation, causing severe power shortages ("load-shedding"). The cost of living, fuel and fertiliser prices, and jobs for a young population are the issues most likely to decide votes.
The 2021 result was decisive: Hichilema won outright in the first round, avoiding a run-off, and the UPND took a clear parliamentary majority, ending the PF's decade in office.
| Presidential (2021) | Votes | Vote % |
| Hakainde Hichilema (UPND) | 2,852,348 | 59.02 |
| Edgar Lungu (PF) | 1,870,780 | 38.33 |
Turnout was about 70.9%, unusually high and driven by a surge of young and first-time voters. In the National Assembly the UPND won roughly 82 of the 156 elected seats, with the PF reduced to around 60 and the remainder split between smaller parties and independents.
Key questions include whether Hichilema can convert his 2021 mandate into a second term against a divided opposition, how the post-Lungu PF and any new opposition alliances perform, and whether economic hardship erodes the government's support in the Copperbelt and urban areas. The conduct of the campaign — access to media, the role of the ECZ, and the policing of rallies — will be closely watched by regional and international observers, given concerns about pre-election violence in past cycles.
Zambian elections have a strong regional dimension. The UPND's base lies in the Southern, Western and North-Western provinces, while the Patriotic Front traditionally dominated the Northern, Luapula and Muchinga provinces and competed hard on the Copperbelt, the urban mining heartland. Lusaka, the capital, and the Copperbelt are the principal battlegrounds, with large, youthful populations whose turnout can swing the national result. In 2021 Hichilema broke through in urban areas that had previously leaned to the PF, a realignment that the 2026 contest will test as economic conditions and the opposition's fortunes evolve.
This page will carry the live presidential count and an interactive map of Zambia's ten provinces and 156 constituencies as results are declared, alongside the National Assembly seat tally. Figures come from the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), the constitutional body responsible for conducting and certifying the vote.
Zambia holds its general election on Thursday 13 August 2026. On a single day voters elect the President, the 156 elected members of the National Assembly, and mayors, council chairpersons and local-government councillors.
President Hakainde Hichilema (UPND), who won in 2021, is eligible for and expected to seek a second term. His main opposition has historically come from the Patriot Front (PF), though the movement has been in turmoil following the death of former president Edgar Lungu in 2025.
Since the 2016 constitution, the President is elected by an absolute-majority system: a candidate needs more than 50% of valid votes to win in the first round, otherwise a run-off is held between the top two within 37 days. The President runs on a joint ticket with a vice-presidential running mate.
The economy dominates: Zambia became Africa's first pandemic-era sovereign defaulter in 2020 and has since restructured its debt under an IMF programme. The cost of living, electricity shortages linked to drought, copper-mining revenues, and governance and democratic-space concerns are central campaign themes.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) tallies results at constituency and national level and announces the presidential winner once verification is complete, typically within a few days. Live results and a regional map will be published on this page as counting progresses.
Compiled and reviewed by Bartłomiej Paruzel, Election Data Analyst, from official results. See our data methodology.