By Malawi Freedom Network -Official

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has assured the nation that the results of the 2026 general election will be transmitted and released within the agreed 72-hour timeframe, as the country awaits the outcome of Thursday’s closely watched polls.

ECZ Chief Executive Officer Brown Kasaro said the commission had put in place procedures aimed at ensuring that results are received, verified and processed efficiently before being formally announced.

Kasaro said the commission would release the results through official documents that form part of the results management system, with election materials from constituencies expected to be transmitted through the established process.

He explained that where discrepancies are detected between results submitted from constituencies and the information received by the commission, the affected documents would be returned for verification before the results are accepted into the system.

The verification process, he said, is intended to safeguard the integrity of the election and ensure that only properly authenticated results are included in the final tally.

Kasaro’s assurance comes as political parties, candidates and voters await the first official results from an election that has attracted significant national and regional attention.

Despite the intense political contest, the ECZ chief said voting had generally taken place in a peaceful atmosphere.

He also addressed incidents reported during polling, including the situation involving students at the University of Zambia (UNZA), where some students reportedly experienced difficulties during the voting process.

Kasaro further commented on an incident in Pambashe Constituency involving a candidate who reportedly attempted to vote alongside a relative who was not registered.

The ECZ leadership said such incidents were being handled within the established electoral procedures.

With polling completed, attention has now shifted to the counting, verification, transmission and announcement of results.

The commission’s commitment to releasing results within 72 hours is expected to ease some of the uncertainty surrounding the post-election period, while the verification procedures are intended to ensure that speed does not compromise accuracy.

As the results management process gets underway, political parties and members of the public are expected to rely on official ECZ announcements rather than unofficial figures circulating on social media.

The coming hours will therefore be critical as Zambia moves from voting to the formal determination of the election outcome, with the ECZ under pressure to deliver results that are not only timely but also transparent, credible and verifiable.