Claim
From the early hours of 13th August 2021, a day after the General Elections, various platforms published what they claimed were official results from polling stations and other tallying centres. Some presidential candidates even went on to concede defeat, before the official results were announced, and endorsed United Party for National Development (UPND) candidate, Hakainde Hichilema whom they claimed had won resoundingly. Those who conceded defeat and endorsed the alleged victory of Mr Hichilema include Sean Tembo of the Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP), Fred M’membe of the Socialist Party, and Dr Nevers Mumba of the New Hope Movement for Multiparty Democracy. On 13th August, 2021, Patriots for Economic Progress, an aspiring political party in Zambia, published an article on their online social media platform announcing that they conceded defeat in the Presidential race realizing that the race was between two political parties, namely Patriotic Front and the United Party for National Development. The Patriots for Economic Progress further alleged that based on the results that have been announced so far, it appeared inevitable that Mr. Hakainde Hichilema of the UPND would win the presidency in this election.
Rating Justification
It is true that Mr. Hakainde Hichilema won the Presidential election with a landslide victory. Although the Electoral Commission of Zambia formally declared him a winner in the early hours of 16th August 2021, some candidates had already confirmed his victory on 13th August 2021, a day after the General elections. They claimed their confirmation was based on results from polling stations, and went on to concede defeat, before the official results were announced, and endorsed the United Party for National Development (UPND) candidate, Hakainde Hichilema as a winner. However, regardless of the predictions made, the Electoral commission of Zambia is the only body that is legally mandated to declare a candidate as a president after following proper and orderly way of the electoral process. In the early hours of Monday 16th August, 2021, the Electoral Commission of Zambia declared Mr. Hakainde Hichilema as President elect, after consolidating results that kept him in the lead with the a total number 2,810,757 votes, followed by Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu with 1,814,201 votes. Furthermore on 16th August, 2021, outgoing President Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu conceded defeat at around 12hrs and congratulated the incoming president elect Mr. Hakainde Hichilema.
