The death has been confirmed on Thursday of Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu at the age of 68.
Lungu’s Patriotic Front party said he died in South African where he was admitted at a hospital for specialised treatment.
His illness was not disclosed by the party.
The ex-president’s daughter Tasila in a short video said her father died in Pretoria on Thursday morning.
After being elected to office in 2015 following the death of his predecessor Michael Sata, Lungu lost his re-election bid in 2021 to current President Hakainde Hichilema who won a landslide.
After a brief break from politics, Lungu did not hide his ambition to bounce back to the presidency but was blocked by the Zambian Constitutional Court which ruled that he had exhausted two terms and could not run again according to the dictates of the constitution.
His election defeat followed widespread disenchantment for the torrid economic challenges in Zambia exacerbated by unemployment, which Hichilema exploited to the full winning by more than one million votes.
Source: APA news