Voting opened at 6 am on Thursday in Zambia’s general election, with a strong turnout and a peaceful atmosphere.

Queues began forming at polling stations as early as 4 am, with both young and adult voters turning out in large numbers to cast their ballots.

Fourteen presidential candidates, including incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema, are vying for the country's top job for the next five years.

Hichilema is seeking a second term, having swept to victory in 2021 by securing more than 2.8 million votes to defeat then-President Edgar Lungu.

Hichilema’s challenger

The president's main challenger in a field of 13 other hopefuls is Brian Mundubile, a 55-year-old former minister in the Patriotic Front (PF) government that ruled from 2011 to 2021.

Backed by an alliance of opposition parties, Mundubile entered the race in May and is running under the newly formed NRPUP party, which draws much of its political base from the PF.

Voters will also be electing new members of parliament, city mayors, municipal council chairpersons and ward councillors.

The winning presidential candidate is required to secure 50% plus one of the total votes cast, with the nation's electoral commission indicating that the victor could tentatively be known by Monday.

Campaign promise

Hichilema, 64, won a first five-year term in 2021 on his sixth run for the post and is betting on job creation and an ambitious infrastructure drive to secure re-election.

While inflation fell to 6.8 percent in April and the kwacha currency has strengthened, many still face high food and energy costs.

The country is long regarded as one of Africa's more stable democracies.

Voting in Zambia has traditionally followed regional lines, with Hichilema's party strongest in the south and west, and the PF retaining pockets of support in the north and Copperbelt.

Results of the presidential vote are expected by August 17. The winner needs more than 50 percent to avoid a runoff.

Voters are also electing 226 parliament seats, up from the previous 156.