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The Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald
‘A checkered legacy'': Zambia's former president Edgar Lungu dies aged 68
Former Zambian president Edgar Lungu died on Thursday at the age of 68, six months after an attempted return to politics was thwarted by a court ruling that he could not run for office again. Lungu was the sixth president of the Southern African nation and held office from 2015 to 2021, when he lost an election to long-time opposition leader President Hakainde Hichilema. He was praised during his tenure for a massive road-building programme, but also ran Zambia's finances deeply into the red. The country defaulted on its international debt in 2020, precipitating his election loss. Lungu died on Thursday morning at a medical centre in Pretoria, where he had been receiving specialised treatment, his political party, the Patriotic Front, said in a statement on social media. The party also posted a video on social media of Lungu's daughter Tasila Lungu, a member of Zambia's parliament, announcing his death. "My father had been under medical supervision in recent weeks. The condition was managed with dignity and privacy," she said. Lungu suffered from a rare disorder that caused a narrowing of the food pipe, for which he had been treated in SA before. Shortly after he took office in 2015 he fell ill and underwent a procedure in SA which the presidency said at the time was not available in Zambia. Lungu was born on November 11 1956, in Ndola in the Zambian copper belt. A lawyer by training, he served as justice and defence minister under former president Michael Sata before taking over the presidency when Sata died in 2015. After taking office Lungu quickly embarked on legislative reforms which were seen as progressive, including amending the constitution to reduce the power of the president. He won a presidential election in 2016 that gave him a five-year term in office. But shortly before it ended he tried and failed to reverse the constitutional changes he had made. "The legacy of Edgar Lungu is a checkered," said political analyst Lee Habasonda at the University of Zambia.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Edgar Lungu: Former Zambian president who left chequered legacy dies aged 68
Edgar Lungu, the former president of Zambia, has died at the age of 68. His death comes six months after a court ruling prevented him from running for office again, thwarting his attempted return to politics. Lungu, who served as the sixth president of the Southern African nation from 2015 to 2021, passed away on Thursday morning at a medical centre in Pretoria, South Africa. He had been receiving specialised treatment in the capital, according to a statement released on social media by his political party, the Patriotic Front. During his time in office, Lungu was lauded for initiating a large-scale road construction programme. However, his administration also faced criticism for Zambia's deteriorating financial situation, which led to the country defaulting on its international debt in 2020 and contributed to his election loss to current President Hakainde Hichilema. The party also posted a video on social media of Lungu's daughter Tasila Lungu, a member of Zambia's parliament, announcing his death. "My father... had been under medical supervision in recent weeks. This condition was managed with dignity and privacy," she said. Lungu suffered from a rare disorder that caused a narrowing of the food pipe, for which he had been treated in South Africa before. Shortly after he took office in 2015 he fell ill and underwent a procedure in South Africa which the presidency said at the time was not available in Zambia. Chequered legacy Lungu was born on November 11, 1956, in the city of Ndola, in the Zambian copperbelt. A lawyer by training, he served as justice and defence minister under former president Michael Sata before taking over the presidency when Sata died in 2015. After taking office Lungu quickly embarked on legislative reforms which were seen as progressive, including amending the constitution to reduce the power of the president. He won a presidential election in 2016 that gave him a five-year term in office. But just before it ended he tried and failed to reverse the constitutional changes he had made. "The legacy of Edgar Lungu is a chequered legacy," said political analyst Lee Habasonda at the University of Zambia. "He will be remembered for tolerating thuggery by his supporters although he also represented a brand of politicians who interacted across class." Under Lungu's tenure and especially towards the end of his presidency his supporters became unruly, and his failure to rein them in was widely viewed as an endorsement of their actions. Habasonda said he was someone who "allowed the poorest of Zambians to get close to the corridors of power." Lungu had an acrimonious relationship with key Western donors like the United States, whose ambassador he asked to be withdrawn in 2020. Relations with the International Monetary Fund also became strained during his tenure, prompting the lender to withdraw its resident representative. Amid economic turmoil, Zambia became one of the first countries to default on its international debt after COVID-19 devastated the world's economies in the early 2020s. After his 2021 election defeat Lungu went into retirement, then made a political comeback in 2023, eventually being accepted as the leader and presidential candidate for the alliance including the Patriotic Front. But in December last year, Zambia's constitutional court ruled that he was ineligible to run for another term in office.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu don die
Zambia former President Edgar Lungu don die at di age of 68, im party announce for statement. E bin dey "receive specialized treatment for South Africa" for one undisclosed illness, di Patriotic Front add. Lungu lead Zambia for six years from 2015, e lose di 2021 election to di current President Hakainde Hichilema wit big margin. Afta e lose, e step back from politics but e later return to politics and show say im get ambition to run for presidency again. For inside one video statement, Lungu daughter Tasila say di former head of state, wey bin dey "under medical supervision in recent weeks", die at 06:00 (04:00 GMT) on Thursday. "For dis moment of grief, we summon di spirit of 'One Zambia, One Nation' - di timeless creed wey guide President Lungu service to our kontri," she add.
