Voting ends in Zambia's general election, counting underway

Zambians turned out in large numbers to vote in Thursday’s general elections which observers say is the closest contest in the country’s history.

The vote is expected to be a tight race between President Edgar Lungu’s governing PF party and the opposition UPND led by Hakainde Hichilema.

For the first time, a presidential candidate must win more than 50% of the vote to avoid a run-off. Mr Lungu won the last election by less than 28,000 votes.

The election witnessed long, calm, orderly queues before voting ended at 1600 GMT. Some polling stations however extended voting hours following delays in opening the centers.

As the counting begins, Zambia’s electoral commission has urged political party supporters to remain calm after final results are announced.