Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, has congratulated Mr Hakainde Hichilema on his election as President-Elect of Zambia following the successful conduct of Elections held on August 12, 2021.

The AU Chairperson also commended outgoing President Edgar Lungu for his tenure and demonstration of strong leadership and statesmanship through his gracious acceptance of the outcome of the elections.

AU Commission statement made available to the Ghana News Agency in Tema on Tuesday also acknowledged the role of the Electoral Commission of Zambia and all national stakeholders for their collective efforts in the exemplary conduct of peaceful, free and fair elections.

In this regard, the Chairperson expressed gratitude to Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, former President of Sierra Leone, for his leadership of the African Union Election Observation Mission to Zambia.

The Chairperson reiterated the continued support of the African Union Commission to the Republic of Zambia in its journey to deepen the country's democratic and participative governance credentials.

In its final tally, the Zambian Electoral Commission declared the Opposition Leader as the winner of the last Thursday, August 12, 2021 election. Mr Hichilema had 2,810,777 votes while the incumbent President Mr Lungu had 1,814,201. There were seven million registered voters.