Latest news with #TasilaLunguMwansa
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Edgar Lungu, former Zambian president, dies at 68
Edgar Lungu became Zambia's sixth president in 2015. (AP pic) LUSAKA : Zambia's former president Edgar Lungu, who held power for almost seven years until 2021, died yesterday in a hospital in South Africa at the age of 68, his party and family announced. Lungu had been receiving specialised medical treatment in a clinic in Pretoria, the Patriotic Front (PF), his political party, said in a statement. 'My father had been under medical supervision in recent weeks,' his daughter and member of the country's national assembly Tasila Lungu-Mwansa said in a video shared on social media. 'His condition was managed with dignity and privacy with support from all well-wishers,' she said, without providing details of the cause of his death. Lungu, a trained military officer and lawyer, became the country's sixth president in 2015 after the death in office of his predecessor Michael Sata. While campaigning to be elected leader of the large but sparsely populated, resource-rich country, Lungu described himself as an 'ordinary Zambian of humble beginnings'. He narrowly won the 2016 election against Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) after a violent campaign that saw clashes between the two parties. He pledged to unite the country and rebuild the economy. Conservative Amnesty International said that repression under Lungu had pushed Zambia to the edge, with a 'brutal crackdown on human rights' and 'brazen attacks on any form of dissent'. On social issues, he revealed a conservative side, saying for example that gay rights were 'foreign'. Born in 1956 in Chadiza in eastern Zambia, Lungu was from the minority Nsenga ethnic group, but he often described himself as a non-tribal. 'In private, ECL, as he is affectionately known, was disarmingly personable and very down to earth,' Musa Mwenye, a former attorney general posted on X. He stepped down from the presidency in 2021 when Hichilema, the current president, won fresh elections by a landslide. He had said he planned to run for president again in the 2026 elections. President Hichilema expressed on social media his 'deep sorrow' at the news of Lungu's passing, calling Zambians to come together 'above political affiliation or personal conviction'. Lungu had suffered from recurring achalasia, a condition caused by narrowing of the oesophagus, for which he had been treated in South Africa.
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Former Zambia president Edgar Lungu dies aged 68
Former Zambia president Edgar Lungu, who served as the leader of the southern African nation from 2015 until 2021, has died at the age of 68. Mr Lungu's daughter, Tasila Lungu-Mwansa, announced his death in a video posted on the official Facebook page of his political party, the Patriotic Front. Advertisement She said he died in a hospital in South Africa after having been under 'medical supervision' in recent weeks. Ms Lungu-Mwansa did not give a cause of death. Mr Lungu became president in 2015 to complete the term of Michael Sata after he died in office. Mr Lungu was elected to a full presidential term in 2016, beating current president Hakainde Hichilema. Mr Lungu later lost to Mr Hichilema in the 2021 election. Mr Lungu had sought to challenge Mr Hichilema in next year's presidential election, but a court last year barred him from standing. The court ruled his time as president from 2015 to 2016 counted as a full term and said he had, therefore, served the maximum length of two terms. Mr Lungu alleged there was political interference in the court ruling. His wife and other family members have faced corruption allegations. Advertisement Mr Lungu claimed last year that his movements were being monitored by police and he had effectively been placed under house arrest to restrict his return to politics. Police said it was standard to monitor former presidents for their safety.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu has died at 68
LUSAKA, Zambia — Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu , who served as the leader of the southern African nation from 2015-2021, died Thursday, his daughter said. He was 68. Lungu's daughter, Tasila Lungu-Mwansa, announced his death in a video posted on the official Facebook page of his political party, the Patriotic Front. She said he died in a hospital in South Africa after having been under 'medical supervision' in recent weeks. Lungu-Mwansa, who is a lawmaker, did not give a cause of death.
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Edgar Lungu, Ex-Zambian Leader Who Riled Investors, Dies at 68
Edgar Lungu, a former Zambian president who clashed with investors in the key mining industry and oversaw a massive ramp-up in state debt, has died. He was 68. Lungu had been under medical supervision in recent weeks and died in a hospital in South Africa early Thursday, his daughter Tasila Lungu-Mwansa said in a video posted on social media.
