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 legislation.
Lungu, 66, who served because the nation’s president from 2015 to 2021, has been instructed by police that the common Saturday runs he has been holding with members of the general public and supporters of his Patriotic Entrance celebration ought to be thought-about political occasions, and that he might want to get hold of legislation enforcement’s permission earlier than setting out on any comparable group runs sooner or later.
In accordance with the BBC, police within the capital of Lusaka—the place Lungu has been venturing out on his runs—stated the Patriot Entrance’s failure to inform them of “public gatherings or demonstrations … quantities to a breach of the legislation. That is to make sure public security.” The assertion added a “procession of a former head of state ought to be achieved along with his safety element and devoid of political activism.”
Nonetheless, Lungu’s lawyer, Makebi Zulu, instructed the BBC that police have been overstepping their bounds by demanding he ask their permission to go working in public, and that any additional motion taken by police could 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 legislation,” stated Zulu.
The lawyer additional instructed AFP that “it’s the police who’re violating the legislation. No legislation states that you simply 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 “this can be 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 Improvement. The group runs and different latest public appearances by the previous chief has fuelled hypothesis that Lungu could also be making a play for the presidency within the nation’s common election in 2026.
