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“Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu has therefore been elected twice and served twice. The constitution makes him unfit to participate as a presidential candidate in future elections,” the court ruled.

Last month, Lungu was picked by the opposition Tonse Alliance party as the presidential candidate in the 2026 elections to challenge President Hichilema.

Their choice of Lungu came a year after the government of Zambia withdrew his pension benefits and privileges following his decision to return to active politics.

As part of efforts to revive his public profile, Lungu had joined the public and his supporters for jogging in public. what police called “political activism.”, external.

In a move that angered Lungu’s supporters in October, President Hichilema dismissed three top judges who had participated in the controversial ruling that allowed Lungu to run for the 2021 elections.

At the time, the presidency defended the dismissals, saying Hichilema was bound by the decision of the Judicial Complaints Commission, which had ruled that the judges should be removed following allegations of judicial misconduct.

On Tuesday, the government welcomed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in a long-running legal battle.

“This decision provides legal clarity for citizens and protects our democracy, allowing us to look forward to free, fair and competitive elections in 2026,” Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha said in a statement.

After Sata’s death and Lungu’s first election, the constitution was amended so that the vice president automatically takes office when a sitting president dies.