HAPUNDA PREDICTS PRESIDENTIAL RUN-OFF, SAYS NO CANDIDATE WILL SECURE 50%+1 IN FIRST ROUND
Socialist Party aspiring candidate for the newly created Chongwe West Constituency, Brian Hapunda, has predicted that Zambia’s 2026 presidential election will proceed to a second ballot, arguing that no candidate currently enjoys sufficient support to secure an outright victory in the first round.
Hapunda said the country’s political landscape remains highly competitive and fragmented, making it unlikely that any presidential contender will attain the constitutional threshold of 50 percent plus one vote required to be declared winner in the first round.
> “They’re going, but in the second ballot. As the national political barometer stands, no presidential candidate in this race will manage to secure 50%+1 of the total cast votes in the first round,” Hapunda stated.
The Socialist Party figure, who has been actively campaigning in Chongwe West ahead of the August 13 General Election, said current political trends point to a tightly contested race among the major contenders.
Under Zambia’s electoral system, a presidential candidate must obtain more than half of the valid votes cast to win outright. Failure by any candidate to reach the 50%+1 threshold triggers a run-off election between the two leading candidates.
The August 13, 2026 General Election will see Zambians elect a President, Members of Parliament, councillors and council chairpersons in what is expected to be one of the country’s most closely watched elections in recent years.
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