Electoral Commission chair Mwangala Zaloumis declared Hakainde Hichilema president-elect at 02:41 CAT on 18 August [E1]. Article 269 of the Constitution excludes the declaration date when a period is counted in days, so 19 August is day one and 25 August is day seven [E2]. The Judiciary’s 2026 presidential-election disputes guide says a petition is due within seven days after the date of declaration, and that there is no time extension [E3]. Monday 24 August is day six on that arithmetic, not the last day [E2][E3].
The Supreme Court premises in Lusaka, which also house the Constitutional Court, were closed on 24 August. Reuters reported a Judiciary memorandum telling staff not to report for work that day, and that all gates were closed with police inside [E4]. The memorandum itself is not on the Judiciary website, so its signature, hours and nationwide scope are not established from a primary scan [E3][E4]. Ordinary election-period Registry hours in the 2026 guide are 08:30–18:00 CAT [E3].
No Constitutional Court registry or cause number for a Mundubile or NRPUP presidential petition had appeared by 23:11 UTC [E3][E4]. Chishala Kateka said the alliance was trying to ensure the petition was filed, which is not a lodgment [E4]. Constitutional Court Rules allow a document to be filed electronically and treat an electronically filed petition as an official record as of the time it is received [E5]. No 24 August notice proved that the e-filing system was accepting presidential petitions while the gates were shut [E3][E5].
Closure does not, on the published texts, stop the clock. The Rules allow extensions except where time is specifically limited by the Constitution [E5]. Article 269 is that limit [E2]. Whether a registry number is published by 25 August 23:59 CAT is the settlement test already on the ledger [E3][E4].