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General Election
Third Republic
2016 General Election
The first general election after the 2016 constitutional amendments introduced the 50-percent-plus-one presidential threshold and a running mate. ECZ records the presidential election date as 11 August 2016.
Archived
: Election status from the public election record.
Unverified
: This record has not yet been verified.
Election outcome
How the election was won
President elected
Edgar Lungu
Patriotic Front (PF)
Winner
Edgar Lungu
Runner-up
Hakainde Hichilema
United Party for National Development (UPND)
About the figures: Complete official national vote totals have not yet been verified for this record. The page shows only facts supported by the linked official publications.
Key facts at a glance
President
Edgar Lungu
Running mate elected
Inonge Wina
Presidential threshold
More than 50% of valid votes
PF parliamentary seats
80
What was happening before the election
The election was the first conducted after the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016 changed the presidential electoral system and expanded the National Assembly from 150 to 156 elective seats.
How the election worked
The amended Constitution introduced a presidential threshold of more than 50 percent of valid votes and required presidential candidates to stand with a running mate. National Assembly seats remained constituency-based contests.
How the outcome was decided
Edgar Lungu was elected President with Inonge Wina as running mate. ECZ publishes constituency-level presidential results. Hakainde Hichilema was the principal runner-up.
What happened in Parliament
PF won 80 elective seats, UPND 58, MMD 3 and FDD 1; 14 seats were won by independent candidates.
Why this election mattered
It was the first election under the 50-percent-plus-one rule and the running-mate system, meaning the Vice-President was elected on the same ticket rather than appointed after the election.