Edgar Lungu

Edgar Chagwa Lungu (born 11 November 1956) is a Zambian politician who served as the sixth president of Zambia from 26 January 2015 to 24 August 2021.

Under President Michael Sata, Lungu served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Defence.

Lungu was born 11 November 1956 at Ndola Central Hospital.

After graduating with a LL.B. in 1981 from the University of Zambia, he joined the law firm Andrea Masiye and Company in Lusaka.

He subsequently underwent military officer training at Miltez in Kabwe under Zambia National Service (ZNS).

He then returned to practising law.

He then joined politics.

In 2010, Edgar Lungu had his law practicing licence suspended by the Law Association of Zambia.

This was after he was found guilty of professional misconduct.

After the PF won the 2011 election, Lungu became Junior Minister in the Vice-President's office.

He was subsequently promoted to Minister of Home Affairs on 9 July 2012.

He became Minister of Defence on 24 December 2013 after Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba resigned from his ministerial post, and he functioned as Acting President during President Michael Sata's long-term illness in 2013–14.

Following Sata's death in October 2014, Lungu was adopted as the candidate of the Patriotic Front in a Convention of the Patriotic Front in Kabwe, for the January 2015 presidential by-election, which was to determine who would serve out the remainder of Sata's term.

He has also held a string of central positions in his party, including Chair of the PF Central Committee on Discipline, and he became PF Secretary General and Minister of Justice on 28 August 2014 to replace Wynter Kabimba, who was fired.

These positions were in addition to the Defence portfolio.

Sata went abroad for medical treatment on 19 October 2014, leaving Lungu in charge of the country in his absence.

Sata died on 28 October 2014.

Vice-President Dr. Guy Scott took over as Acting President, and Lungu was viewed as one of the main contenders to ultimately succeed Sata in a presidential by-election.

On 3 November 2014, Acting President Dr. Guy Scott dismissed Lungu as Secretary-General of the PF.

He replaced him with Davis Mwila, the Member of Parliament for Chipili.

The next day, Scott reinstated Lungu.

On 30 November, Lungu was elected as President of the Patriotic Front at a national convention of the party held in Kabwe, Zambia.

However the convention was unusual because no voting took place.

Instead, the unaccredited delegates elected him by raising hands.

In the election, he narrowly defeated opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema and took office on 25 January 2015.

On 20 January 2015, Lungu contested the presidential by-election and beat his closest rival Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development by a narrow majority of just 27,757 votes (1.66%), with just 32.36% of the registered electorate participating.

He was declared the winner by the Electoral Commission of Zambia on 24 January.

Lungu was sworn in as President of Zambia on 26 January 2015 at the National Heroes Stadium in the capital Lusaka.

The following month, Lungu forced the head of the central bank out of office and promised lower interest rates.

He appointed Inonge Wina as Zambia's first female Vice-President.

In March 2015 Lungu collapsed while holding a speech commemorating International Women's Day in Lusaka.

After spending a short while in a Zambian hospital he had an operation for his narrowed oesophagus in Pretoria, South Africa.

Lungu commuted the death sentences of 332 prisoners to life in prison on 16 July 2015 and condemned the massive overcrowding at the Mukobeko prison, calling it "an affront to basic human dignity".

In October 2015, Lungu ordered a national day of prayer in hopes of preventing further damage to the economy.

Top religious and political officials participated, and other public events were cancelled.

Lungu was elected to a full presidential term in the August 2016 election, again narrowly defeating Hichilema.

Hichilema initially disputed the election result and filed a case at the Constitutional Court to nullify the result.

On 5 September, however, the court dismissed the case.

Lungu was sworn in for his first full term on 13 September 2016.

In 2021, Lungu was defeated by long-time opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema (his 2015 and 2016 opponent), after the Electoral Commission of Zambia declared the victory of Hichilema in that year's presidential election.