The Zambia Electoral Commission has finally announced that opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has won Zambia’s election.
Hichilema the leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND) party will be Zambia’s seventh president after he defeated incumbent President Edgar Lungu and his Patriotic Front (PF) party.
The results were announced in the early hours of Monday morning after inordinate delays.
The delayed announcement that the 59-year-old businessman Hichilema won the election was met with celebrations on the streets of the capital Lusaka.
President Lungu had been complaining to anyone who would listen that violence and the lack of access to certain areas meant Thursday’s elections were not free and fair.
With the turnout of 71 percent, Hichilema has finally wrestled power from Lungu. It was Hichilema’s sixth attempt at winning the presidency.
Earlier there were arguments about tallying figures that led to the electoral authorities temporarily halting proceedings.
Legal bodies had also warned against Lungu’s reported attempts to nullify elections.
Lungu, who is often ridiculed as a drunkard, is blamed by young Zambians for rising food prices and increasing industry take overs by Chinese nationals.
