Edgar Lungu

Edgar Chagwa Lungu (11 November 1956 – 5 June 2025) was 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. Following Sata's death in October 2014, Lungu was nominated as the candidate for the Patriotic Front at the Convention of the Patriotic Front which was held in Kabwe, for the January 2015 presidential by-election, which was to determine who would serve out the remainder of Sata's term. In the election, he narrowly defeated opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema and took office on 25 January 2015.

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 in Lungu's favour. 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), in that year's presidential election. He died in June 2025 in Pretoria, South Africa following surgery complications.

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, and later entered politics.

In 2010, Lungu had his law practising licence suspended by the Law Association of Zambia. This was after he was found guilty of professional misconduct.

Lungu stood as an independent candidate in the Chawama constituency at the 1996 general election, with Christon Tembo of the MMD winning the seat ahead of him. After the formation of the United Party for National Development in December 1998, Lungu joined that party.

After the formation of the Patriotic Front in 2001, Lungu joined that party and stood in Chawama constituency at the 2001 general election as the Patriotic Front's candidate, where he finished seventh in a field of eleven candidates with 2.43% of the vote.