President Hakainde Hichilema has won a second five-year term after securing 60% of the vote, according to the electoral commission, while his main challenger, Brian Mundubile, has reportedly gone into hiding over alleged threats.
Mundubile, who received 38%, had earlier claimed victory and alleged voting irregularities, but did not provide evidence to support the claims. His party, the NRPUP, said he was staying in a secure location under the protection of an international human rights organisation.
Local media reported that Mundubile and his running mate, Makebi Zulu, had sought refuge at a UN agency in Lusaka amid fears of arrest.
The development followed the arrest of several opposition figures during a Friday raid. Authorities accused them of plotting an insurrection, a claim Mundubile rejected as fabricated.
After being declared the winner, Hichilema, 64, thanked voters and said the election showed Zambia remained a peaceful democracy where political differences are settled through the ballot box.
His supporters later gathered in Lusaka, wearing the red colours of his United Party for National Development (UPND), to celebrate the result.
Mundubile has questioned the official results, alleging discrepancies between polling-station figures and those announced by authorities, and claiming there was military involvement at some tallying centres. It remains unclear whether the opposition will formally challenge the result.
Zambia has maintained a record of relatively peaceful presidential transitions since the return to multiparty democracy in 1991, with power changing hands through elections rather than military intervention.
The latest election, however, has raised concerns over the treatment of opposition figures and the transparency of the electoral process as Hichilema begins his second term.
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