Zambia courts sealed off as election petition deadline looms

Opposition candidate Brian Mundubile said he would challenge the presidential election result in court Court premises in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, and elsewhere have been shut as the deadline for filing a petition against the outcome of the recent presidential election approaches. An unusual police presence has been reported at some courts, which have been taped off to prevent access. Opposition candidate Brian Mundubile said he would challenge the election result, citing irregularities, after coming second with a 38% share of the vote. Incumbent Hakainde Hichilema won a second term with 60%. Mundubile is in hiding over alleged threats made against him, amid a post-election period marked by controversy, including the shooting dead of an opposition figure and the arrest of others.

Missing media or need the complete publisher report? Open BBC World

Scoop News DeskZambia · Published Monday, August 24, 2026 at 10:22 AM UTCUpdated Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at 8:47 AM UTC

Scoop News reporting summary

The text below was supplied by the Scoop Newsroom app. Third-party reporting is attributed in the source panel.

Find out how many have closed where you live Girl gets tumour diagnosis 12 hours after eye test Doctors said I was too young to have endometriosis at 13 - I had to take morphine to cope How to get £2,000 to play computer games at university 'I didn't speak the Queen's English': Why people worry about their accents Rumours swirled after a Vietnamese teen was run over - then came a stunning admission Mum says painful condition 'overlooked' during pregnancy How a new era of heatwaves could shake up the school calendar Royal Watch: Get the latest royal stories and analysis with Sean Coughlan’s weekly newsletter Meet the Premier League’s first female photographer An intense psychological thriller with Zoë Kravitz and Channing Tatum A poignant story of an extraordinary blended family Diane Morgan's hit new comedy audiences are loving Race Across the World star dies year after son 'It's not Alton Towers' - rows break out over queuing at Wales' highest mountain Nearly three million Teslas recalled in China over hidden door handles Divorce, smartphones and control - BBC sees how Taliban run Afghanistan Australian shark attack victim grateful for 'second chance at life' UK's rarest bird of prey rears new chicks in secret location Nearly 90,000 told to evacuate as wildfire approaches Reno, Nevada Zambia courts sealed off as election petition deadline looms. The EU mission also called for "maximal transparency" over the poll outcome, noting that the electoral commission did not publish separate polling-station results Ex-Zambian minister killed in security raid on opposition Zambia's Hichilema re-elected president as main rival in hiding over alleged threats Top Zambian opposition figures arrested days after presidential vote A burial row over Zambia's late president has turned its election into a hot contest Go to BBCAfrica.com , external for more news from the African continent.

Breaking news moves fast. Follow @Will466513 on X for breaking news alerts. Follow on X →

Story timeline