Zambia holds general elections

Zambia held its 2026 general elections on Thursday, with about 8.7 million registered voters casting ballots for president, National Assembly members and local representatives.

Polling stations across the country opened at 06:00 local time (0400 GMT).

Incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema, the presidential candidate of the ruling United Party for National Development, is facing competition from other candidates, including Brian Mundubile, who leads the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity.

According to the Electoral Commission of Zambia, a presidential candidate must secure more than 50 percent of valid votes to win. Otherwise, a runoff will be held.

The elections cover 226 constituencies and 1,858 wards, with the polling set to close at 18:00 local time (1600 GMT).

Zambia holds general elections

The U.S. dollar weakened in late trading on Friday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, lost 0.03 percent to 100.222 at 15:00 (1900 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro rose to 1.1483 U.S. dollars from 1.1475 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound increased to 1.3391 dollars from 1.3353 dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 156.68 Japanese yen, higher than 156.04 Japanese yen of the previous session. The U.S. dollar fell to 0.8221 Swiss francs from 0.8248 Swiss francs, and it rose to 1.3993 Canadian dollars from 1.3992 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar climbed to 9.8333 Swedish kronor from 9.8256 Swedish kronor.

U.S. dollar ticks down