Edgar Lungu sworn in after disputed vote

Zambian President Edgar Lungu has been sworn into office after the country’s top court rejected a petition by the opposition to block his inauguration as “illegal and unconstitutional”. Lungu, re-elected last month in a closely contested vote, called for national unity in his speech on Tuesday at the event held at a stadium in the […]

Zambian President Edgar Lungu has been sworn into office after the country’s top court rejected a petition by the opposition to block his inauguration as “illegal and unconstitutional”.
Lungu, re-elected last month in a closely contested vote, called for national unity in his speech on Tuesday at the event held at a stadium in the capital Lusaka and attended by regional leaders.
“Now that the elections are over, we must say as a people that we stand as united as ever,” Lungu told tens of thousands of spectators, vowing to prioritise reviving the country’s stumbling economy.
“There is no time and latitude to settle scores. We have work to do,” he said. “It is our duty that as citizens of this country we are on this journey together and be peaceful.”
Lungu, 59, won the August 11 election by about 100,000 votes, but his opponent, Hakainde Hichilema, went to court alleging that the result was riddled with irregularities.