Edgar Lungu was sworn in as president of Zambia before a 50,000 capacity crowd at the National Heroes Stadium in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, Tuesday.
The Herald reports that Lungu was formally re-elected president, after he was declared winner of the August 11th Zambian presidential election. Lungu’s inauguration was attended by at least four African heads of state, including President Ian Karma of Botswana, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, John Magufuli of Tanzania, and Robert Mugabeof Zimbabwe.
For their respective parts, the governments of Swaziland, Malawi, Kenya, and Namibia all sent representatives.
Tuesday was declared a public holiday in Zambia, and thousands of Zambians who could not make it to the National Stadium monitored proceedings closely on large TV screens mounted in public places.
The inauguration was also beamed live on cable TV and was available for viewing in Zambia and six other neighboring countries, namely Malawi, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Botswana, and Namibia.
Lungu was sworn in alongside his running mate Inonge Wina. The two men were re-elected in the election, where official results released by the Zambian Electoral Commissionshowed that Lungu got 50.35 percent of the total votes cast to put him ahead of main opposition challenger Hakainde Hichilema who had 47.63 percent of the votes.
Meanwhile, Hichilema and his United Party for National Development (UPND) party have continued to dispute election results and promised to pursue all available measures to stop the swearing in of Lungu.
Following Lungu’s announcement as the winner of the election, Hichilema’s UNDP filed a motion in Zambia’s Constitutional Court seeking to invalidate the election results, but the courts dismissed his suit last week.
Hichilema had gone on to appeal to the Lusaka High Court, seeking an injunction to halt the swearing in of Lungu as Zambian president. He also asked the High Court to declare the inauguration be delayed until his appeal was heard.
Last Friday, the High Court threw out Hichilema’s petition.
Lungu, 59, came in to power in 2015, after the sudden death of then-President Michael Sata in 2014.
The famous Taylor Schlitz family is making headlines once more as the youngest of the…
Sony Pictures Entertainment has appointed Tahra Grant as its Chief Communications Officer. She replaces Robert…
Meet Ashley M. Fox, the founder of Empify and the first in her family to…
Tyra Banks, the iconic former host of Dancing With the Stars, has made a delightful…
A Brazilian woman named Érika de Souza, 42, is under investigation for manslaughter after authorities…
Ghana’s Asante king Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has unveiled the long-lost treasure of the kingdom…
Deion Sanders is a retired American professional football and baseball player who currently coaches at…
Tiger Woods is set to receive $100 million from PGA Tour Enterprises for his loyalty,…
Jalen Hurts, the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback, has shown his affection for the community by contributing…
It appears Shaquille O'Neal is willing to go all the way out to pamper his…
A U.S. Army Major faces up to 240 months in prison after he was found…
In her first interview about her conviction in Russia on drug smuggling charges, WNBA star…
The beloved host of This Morning, Alison Hammond, is making headlines by selling off her…
Two high school students in Grand Rapids, Michigan, have earned a place in history. The…
Derek Floyd, a 36-year-old Fire Department of New York probationary fireman, died of a heart…