Opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has won Zambia’s presidential election

In a keenly contested battle, Opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has won the Zambian presidential election.

He defeated incumbent Edgar Lungu, the electoral commission said on Monday when releasing the final results from 156 constituencies, barring one.

In the final vote tally, Hichilema secured 2,810,777 votes while Lungu was in second place with 1,814,201 votes, out of 7 million registered voters.

In the presence of a packed results centre in Lusaka, the electoral commission chairman, Esau Chulu announced, “I therefore declare that the said Hichilema to be president of Zambia.”