Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema was declared the winner Tuesday of a troubled election that saw vote counting suspended at one point because of violence at polling stations and opposition officials arrested during a law enforcement raid in which gunshots were fired. Hichilema secured around 60% of the presidential vote in the southern African nation that has held largely peaceful elections since it returned to multiparty democracy in 1991. Hichilema’s main challenger, opposition leader Brian Mundubile, won around 38% of the vote, according to the electoral commission. Zambia, a nation of 22 million people that is one of the world’s leading copper producers, is a focus for Chinese investment because of its reserves of the critical mineral. It has also drawn interest from the United States under a Trump administration plan to increase U.S. access to copper and other critical minerals used in new technologies and renewable energy systems.

Full report : Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema is declared the winner of a troubled election.