Zambia’s Constitutional Court has ruled that former President Edgar Lungu is ineligible to contest future elections, following his 2023 announcement of a return to active politics.
The court decided that Lungu’s initial 20-month term (2015–2016), after the death of then-President Michael Sata, counts as a full term. Coupled with his second term (2016–2021), Lungu has served the maximum two terms allowed under the constitution. The ruling prevents him from running against incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema in the 2026 elections.
Youth activist Michelo Chizombe, who challenged Lungu’s eligibility, argued that his first term, despite not arising from an election, constituted a complete term since he was properly installed as president. Justice Arnold Mweetwa Shilimi, deputy president of the Constitutional Court, upheld this interpretation, emphasizing that Zambia’s constitution does not permit a third term in office.
Lungu criticized the ruling, accusing Hichilema of manipulating the judiciary to avoid facing him at the polls. He described the legal actions as “cowardly and dirty political tactics.”
The court’s decision marks a turning point in Zambia’s political landscape, especially as the Constitutional Court had previously been perceived as favorable to Lungu, who appointed six of its 11 judges during his presidency. However, Hichilema’s removal of three judges who had previously ruled against him may have shifted the court’s dynamics.
Lungu was defeated by Hichilema, the United Party for National Development candidate, in the 2021 national elections.