Tape, armed police and locked gates at Zambia’s top courts, on the very day the opposition must file its challenge to President Hichilema’s re-election. Coincidence or calculated?

With hours to go until the deadline to challenge Zambia’s presidential election result, court premises in the capital and elsewhere have been shut, taped off, and placed under heavy police guard.

At the Supreme Court premises in Lusaka, which also includes the Constitutional Court, all of the gates were closed and police could be seen inside.

Lawyers turning up for work on Monday were being asked to leave. One told said three armed men approached his vehicle, identified themselves, and instructed him to leave the area. Local media cite a memo from a judiciary administrative official telling all staff not to report to work for "security reasons" without giving any details.

Opposition leader Brian Mundubile said last week that he was planning to file a petition at the Constitutional Court to challenge the results of an August 13 election in which he came second to President Hakainde Hichilema.

Under Zambian law, the deadline to file such a challenge is seven days after the result was announced, which would be in the early hours of Tuesday.

Results released by the election commission in the early hours of Tuesday morning showed Hichilema received roughly 60% of valid votes, compared with 38% for his main challenger Brian Mundubile.

That 60-38 split handed the 64-year-old businessman-turned-president a second five-year term without the need for a run-off, avoiding Zambia’s 50%-plus-one threshold. It was Hichilema’s seventh run for the presidency and he was widely expected to win due to the advantages of incumbency, while it was Mundubile’s first bid to become head of state.

Zambia has long been seen as one of Africa’s more stable democracies, with peaceful transfers of power since multi-party politics returned in 1991.

Hichilema himself came to power in 2021 after five previous failed attempts, ousting Edgar Lungu. His first term was dominated by a lengthy debt restructuring and IMF-backed reforms, while drought, power shortages and a weak currency tested the recovery.

Mundubile, who leads the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity, is now in hiding over alleged threats, under the protection of what his campaign calls an "international human rights body". He says his residence was raided by heavily armed personnel after the vote.

There has also been the shooting dead of former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya during a raid by security officers, in what officials described as an exchange of fire - and the arrest of several other opposition figures.

Amnesty International described the killing as "deeply alarming" and the Law Association of Zambia has demanded an independent investigation. Police have now summoned Mundubile himself for questioning over alleged national security threats.

International observers said election day, 13 August, was largely peaceful, but flagged concerns. The EU mission said restrictions on the opposition may have contributed to an "uneven contest", described a heavy military presence at tallying centres as intimidating, and called for "maximal transparency", noting the electoral commission did not publish separate polling-station results.

The courts that have been sealed off include the High Court in Lusaka, the Supreme Court, which also houses the Constitutional Court, and several local courts. It is unclear when they will reopen.

Some commentators are already questioning the independence of the judiciary. Prominent opposition voice Emmanuel Mwamba alleged the closure was aimed at preventing Mundubile from filing his presidential election petition.

Despite the lockout, preparations for Hichilema’s inauguration appear to be continuing. The youth and sport ministry has invited journalists to accompany a cabinet official on an inspection of arrangements at National Heroes Stadium, where the ceremony is expected to take place on 1 September.

If a petition is filed in time, it could potentially delay that inauguration. If not, Hichilema - who campaigned on turning Zambia’s debt recovery into economic expansion - will start his second term as planned.

For now, all eyes are on whether the gates will open before the clock runs out.

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