Zambia’s Electoral Commission has officially announced Opposition candidate Hakainde Hichelema as the winner of last week’s presidential election, The Ugandan Wire reports.
Mr Hichilema defeated his main rival, the outgoing President H.E Edgar Lungu, by more than a million votes. This was Hichilema’s sixth attempt at winning the presidency.
According to the final poll tally, Mr Hichilema had gathered 2,810,777 votes with the incumbent, Mr Lungu’s polling 1,814,201 in Thursday’s election. There were seven million registered voters.
“I therefore declare the said Hichilema to be president of Zambia,” Commission Chairman Esau Chulu announced at the results centre in Lusaka.
Mr Lungu’s six-year rule was criticised for alleged human rights abuses, corruption, a failing economy and massive unemployment. Correspondents say Mr Hichilema, 59, tapped into widespread dissatisfaction among voters.
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