Hichilema Survives Mundubile Scare to Win Second Term
At around 02:00 hours this morning, the long wait finally ended.
Mwangala Zaloumis, the Electoral Commission of Zambia chairperson and returning officer for the 2026 presidential election, stood before the nation at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre and announced the result that would settle one of the country's most closely watched presidential contests.
Hakainde Hichilema had won a second term.
But the road to that victory was far less straightforward than many had expected.
Three months ago, Brian Mundubile was hardly the obvious candidate to emerge as Hichilema's biggest challenger.
A former minister and immediate past Mporokoso Member of Parliament, Mundubile had come from a political party that was only three months old and had previously been part of the PF, a party that had been weakened by internal fights and legal battles.
Then the campaigns began.
Mundubile started drawing surprisingly large crowds for a presidential newcomer. His NRPUP campaign began gaining momentum, turning him into a serious challenger to the incumbent.
For almost five years, Zambia had gone without an opposition figure capable of mounting such a challenge against the ruling UPND.
Hichilema appeared determined not to take any chances.
The President travelled across all 116 districts during the campaign period, holding 132 rallies as he pushed for another mandate.
Mundubile and his running mate, Makebi Zulu, did not cover the same amount of physical ground. Instead, the campaign increasingly relied on social media, particularly Facebook, to reach voters, including efforts to win support in Southern Province during the final days of campaigning.
Still, the strategy appeared to work.
By the time Zambians voted on August 13, Mundubile and his three month old NRPUP had turned the election into a two horse race.
When the final figures were announced, Hichilema had secured 2,965,326 votes, while Mundubile finished with 1,856,217 votes.
Harry Kalaba of Citizens First came third with 19,070 votes, while the remaining presidential candidates shared the rest.
Mundubile had declared himself the winner barely 24 hours after voting day.
But the official declaration came from the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
Zaloumis formally declared Hichilema President elect of the Republic of Zambia after announcing the final valid votes.
“In accordance with the powers conferred upon me under the Electoral Process Act Number 35 of 2015, I hereby proceed to declare the President elect,” Zaloumis said.
She then confirmed Hichilema's total of 2,965,326 votes before declaring him President elect on August 18, 2026.
Following the announcement, Hichilema thanked Zambians for giving him another five year mandate.
He also acknowledged those who voted for his opponents.
“To those citizens who preferred the ideas presented by our opponents, we hear you, and we will continue to work for you to ensure that every Zambian benefits from the development we are delivering,” he said.
The President elect said his second term would be focused even more heavily on development, unity and progress.
“After a hard fought campaign, the people have spoken and we now turn our focus to building even greater peace and prosperity,” he said.
For Hichilema, the election ends with another five years in State House.
For Mundubile, the result marks something different.
A candidate who entered the race with a new party and relatively little time to build a national political machine managed to push the incumbent harder than many expected.
And that may be the biggest story behind Zambia's 2026 presidential election.