ZAMBIAN President Hakainde Hichilema has been re-elected for a second five-year term.

He was declared the outright winner of last Thursday’s presidential election without the need for a run-off, having reportedly secured 61.4 per cent of the 5 million votes cast.

According to the Electoral Commission of Zambia, President Hichilema won with 2,965,326 votes and his closest competitor was opposition leader Brian Mundubile, who won 1,856,217 votes, about 38 per cent.

President Hichilema welcomed the results and thanked Zambians, but also reached out to those who voted for the opposition.

He said: “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.” 

There was no immediate reaction from Mr Mundubile.

Meanwhile, the government also confirmed that several leading opposition figures were arrested on the night of the elections, with the police accusing them of posing a threat to state security.

Mr Mundubile said his home was raided by the police in what he called an attack on his life.