Edgar Lungu, Zambia’s former president, died Thursday at the age of 68 while receiving medical treatment in South Africa, his party, the Patriotic Front (PF), announced.
Lungu served as president from 2015 to 2021 before losing re-election to current President Hakainde Hichilema. The PF confirmed his death in a statement posted on Facebook, saying he had been undergoing specialized care in South Africa.
In a video also shared by the party, his daughter Tasila Lungu, a member of parliament, said her father had been under medical supervision in recent weeks. “This condition was managed with dignity and privacy,” she said.
Lungu assumed office in 2015 following the death of President Michael Sata and was elected to a full term in 2016. A lawyer by training, he previously served as Zambia’s justice and defence minister.
After losing the 2021 election, Lungu briefly retired from politics but returned in 2023 as the leader and presidential candidate of a PF-led alliance. However, in December 2024, Zambia’s Constitutional Court ruled him ineligible to seek another term.