Police in Zambia have warned ex-president Edgar Lungu towards going for runs in public, telling the previous chief of the south-central African nation that his exercises represent “political activism” and are breaking the regulation.
Lungu, 66, who served because the nation’s president from 2015 to 2021, has been informed by police that the common Saturday runs he has been holding with members of the general public and supporters of his Patriotic Entrance occasion must be thought of political occasions, and that he might want to receive regulation enforcement’s permission earlier than setting out on any related group runs sooner or later.
Based on the BBC, police within the capital of Lusaka—the place Lungu has been venturing out on his runs—mentioned the Patriot Entrance’s failure to inform them of “public gatherings or demonstrations … quantities to a breach of the regulation. That is to make sure public security.” The assertion added a “procession of a former head of state must be completed together with his safety element and devoid of political activism.”
Nevertheless, Lungu’s lawyer, Makebi Zulu, informed the BBC that police had been overstepping their bounds by demanding he ask their permission to go working in public, and that any additional motion taken by police can be met with a authorized response.
“Mr. Lungu has been jogging since time immemorial and his motivation has by no means been to contravene the regulation,” mentioned Zulu.
The lawyer additional informed AFP that “it’s the police who’re violating the regulation. No regulation states that you just require a police allow for such occasions.” He additionally appeared to trace that political rivals are concerned within the police crackdown on Lungu’s runs, saying “it is a recipe for anarchy and the police ought to cease listening to politicians.”
Lungu introduced his retirement from political life after shedding the 2021 presidential election to Hakainde Hichilema of the United Occasion for Nationwide Growth. The group runs and different current public appearances by the previous chief has fuelled hypothesis that Lungu could also be making a play for the presidency within the nation’s normal election in 2026.
