Zambia's president leads in early election results

LUSAKA, Zambia – Zambia's president is leading in early results from an election whose campaign was marred by violence between rival factions.

With 22 out of 156 constituencies counted, election officials said Saturday that President Edgar Lungu of the ruling Patriotic Front party had 207,547 votes while Hakainde Hichilema of the opposition United Party for National Development had 153,630.

The winner of Thursday's election must get more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff.

Lungu won the last election with 48 percent of votes, taking office in early 2015 after the death of President Michael Sata. Hichilema, a close second, alleged there were voting irregularities.

Zambia has had peaceful transitions of power in the past, but tension during this year's election campaign set off street clashes at times.