Zambia's top court bars ex-leader from contesting future elections

Lusaka(The Uttam Hindu): Zambia's Constitutional Court has ruled that former President Edgar Lungu is barred from contesting the 2026 general elections and any future elections, as he has already served the constitutionally mandated two terms in office. The court determined Monday that Lungu is not eligible to run again, having been elected twice -- first from 2015 to 2016 and again from 2016 to 2021. In a landmark judgment delivered by six judges, the court dismissed Lungu's argument that his first term should not count as a full term since he had completed the remainder of the term left by his late predecessor Michael Sata, Xinhua news agency reported. Justice Arnold Shilimi, deputy president of the Constitutional Court, who read the judgment, clarified that the combined interpretation of the constitution clearly defined Lungu's term in office from Jan. 25, 2015, to September 13, 2016, as a full term. However, the court also ruled that Lungu was eligible to contest the 2021 elections.

In response to the ruling, Lungu posted a statement on his Facebook page, describing the verdict as expected and accusing it of political manipulation. "For months, the hands of political manipulation have, with undeniable force, steered us toward a conclusion foreseen not by the merits of reasoned argument or constitutional fidelity but by the weight of orchestrated design and political machinations," he said. While he acknowledged the verdict, Lungu expressed his resignation to the outcome, saying he had put plan B in motion which shall legally fight to win for Zambians. This judgment effectively blocks Lungu's attempt at a political comeback, after his defeat in the 2021 elections to incumbent Hakainde Hichilema. Lungu had previously insisted that the Constitutional Court had already resolved his eligibility for the 2021 polls, which were the subject of the case brought before the court by a young activist seeking clarity on Lungu's future eligibility.