Zambia’s incumbent president Edgar Lungu casts his vote at a polling station in Lusaka on Aug. 12, 2021, as the country holds presidential and legislative elections. (Filel photo by PATRICK MEINHARD / Agence France-Presse)
LUSAKA — The former president of Zambia, Edgar Lungu, has been warned that his morning jog is turning into “political activism” for which he must seek police approval.
The police said the runs by Lungu and some of his party supporters require their clearance to ensure the safety of the man who lost power in 2021.
“We have noted with concern the unlawful assembly and political activism that was conducted by the Patriotic Front (PF) cadres when the former president Edgar Lungu was conducting his morning jogging routine,” police spokesman Rae Hamoonga told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Public gatherings should be notified to the police,” he said.
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Lungu’s lawyer Makebi Zulu said he did not require a police permit.
“It’s the police that are violating the law…. [N]o law states that you require a police permit for such events,” Zulu said.
“This is a recipe for anarchy and the police should stop listening to politicians,” he added.
On Monday Lungu, 66, attended a funeral service in Lusaka and was mobbed by supporters, Zulu said. He led copper-rich Zambia from 2015 before losing the 2021 election.