Edgar Lungu, the former president of Zambia, passed away

Edgar Lungu, the former president of Zambia, passed away at the age of 68, according to a statement from his party.

The Patriotic Front (PF) said that he had “been receiving specialized treatment in South Africa” for an unspecified ailment.

After losing the 2021 election to current President Hakainde Hichilema by a significant majority, Lungu led Zambia for six years starting in 2015.

He left politics after that loss, but he eventually came back into it. He wanted to run for president again, but the Constitutional Court disqualified him from doing so at the end of last year, stating that he had already served the two maximum terms permitted by law.

Despite being disqualified from rerunning for president, he continued to have a significant political impact in Zambia and was unreserved in his criticism of his successor.

The former president of state, who had been “under medical supervision in recent weeks,” passed away at a clinic in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, at 6:00 (04:00 GMT) on Thursday, according to a brief video posted by Lungu’s daughter Tasila.

“In this moment of grief, we invoke the spirit of ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ – the timeless creed that guided President Lungu’s service to our country,” she said in a moving message.

His condition was not mentioned, but he had throat surgery overseas ten years ago. According to his office at the time, he had oesophageal narrowing.

President Hichilema urged “solemnity, unity, and an outpouring of love and compassion” in his condolence statement.

“Let us come together as one people, above political affiliation or personal conviction, to honour the life of a man who once held the highest office in our land.”

Following Michael Sata’s death in office, a special presidential election was held, and Lungu was elected president for the first time in January 2015.

After Sata’s term ended, he took slightly more than half of the vote in 2016 and earned another five years in power.

However, after six years in power, Lungu—who promoted Chinese investment and recruited the nation’s assistance in building infrastructure—was held accountable for the economy’s difficulties, high unemployment, and mounting debt.

Corruption issues involving his family members and associates also tainted his tenure in power. Lungu always denied any misconduct.

The youth wing of his party was charged with intimidating members of the opposition and the general public.

Due to substantial discontent among voters, Hichilema, who was perceived as being more pro-Western, defeated Lungu by over a million votes in 2021.

Following the voting, he declared his intention to retire, but when his successor’s popularity declined, he returned to active politics in 2023.

“I am prepared to defend democracy by fighting from the front, not the back. “Please join me if you’re prepared for this battle; I’m prepared for anything,” Mr. Lungu said to supporters at the time.

The former president complained of police persecution after he returned to politics. He claimed to be “virtually under house arrest” at one time last year.

Lungu told the BBC’s Newsday program, “I can’t leave my house without the police confronting me, challenging me, and driving me back.”

He claimed in the May 2024 interview that he had been prohibited from traveling for medical care and from attending a conference overseas.

The police labeled his weekly workouts “political activism” and warned him against jogging in public in 2023.

According to the administration, Lungu had “never been placed under house arrest” and was therefore free to enjoy his entitlements.

Originally a lawyer, Lungu saw a sharp ascent to political prominence after being elected as a PF MP in 2011.

In barely over a year, he became the minister of home affairs after starting as a deputy minister in the vice-president’s office that year.

Later on, he was appointed minister of justice and defense. The “good foot-soldier, lawyer and politician, father, husband and grandparent” is how one close friend put it.

Lungu, who was born on November 11, 1956, earned a law degree from the University of Zambia in 1981. Additionally, he received military training at Kabwe’s Miltez Army College.

Later on, he held positions with Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines, Barclays Bank, and Andre Masiye and Company Advocates.