Zambia halts election count after violence, stolen ballots in Lusaka
What's new: Counting resumed hours later under tighter security after officials said disruptions hit a small number of polling stations.
Zambia briefly suspended counting in its presidential election Friday after attacks on polling staff and the theft of marked ballot papers from some ballot boxes in Lusaka, the electoral commission said. Counting later resumed after a security review, with riot police and army vehicles deployed around parts of the capital, including the main tally center. Electoral Commission of Zambia head Mwangala Zaloumis said the threat had been contained and that only a small number of polling stations were affected. The vote is a key test for President Hakainde Hichilema's bid for a second term as voters weigh his debt-restructuring record against complaints over living costs and electricity shortages.