The election had been marred by riots in Zambia's northern mining region.

The anger had been prompted by a ban on the media announcing results not verified by the electoral commission.
The electoral commission said it had taken the step after its website was hacked to falsely record a landslide for 74-year-old Sata.

Banda's Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) has ruled Zambia for 20 years and this was the fourth time Patriotic Front (PF) leader Sata had run for the presidency.

He lost the last election, in 2008, by just 35,000 votes which sparked rioting by some opposition supporters in the party's urban strongholds.

However, they were in jubilant mood after the victory announcement early on Friday morning and parties were expected to continue into the night, according to the BBC.

Sata has had a lengthy career in politics. He served as an MMD minister for local government, labour and social security, and health before quitting in 2001.

Meanwhile, international election observers criticised the MMD for abusing state resources during its campaign and noted serious media bias on the part of the state broadcaster.

However, the PF's promises of more jobs and better education appear to have won over the electorate.