Zambia’s former President Lungu to appeal 2026 poll ban

Zambia’s Constitutional Court has declared former President Edgar Lungu ineligible to run in the 2026 presidential elections. The court had ruled in 2021 that Lungu was eligible to contest in the polls, although he lost to then opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema. In its ruling Monday, the court admitted that is 2021 ruling was based on flawed legal interpretations and administrative legal oversights. The court had been hearing a petition about the eligibility of former President Lungu. He has accused the judiciary of being manipulated by political forces, according to the Lusaka Times. Emmanuel Mwamba, spokesperson for Zambia’s main opposition Patriotic Front Party, tells VOA’s James Butty, former President Lungu has instructed his lawyers to appeal the court’s decision