Sunday, January 25, 2015

Edgar Lungu Wins Zambia Election Ruling Party Patriotic Front Stalwart Elected President

By Patrick McGroarty in Johannesburg and Nicholas Bariyo in Kampala

The Wall Street Journal - Jan. 25, 2015

Zambians elected ruling party stalwart Edgar Lungu their next president, setting the stage for more haggling between a mercurial government and the powerful mining firms that drive its economy.
Mr. Lungu, a former defense and justice minister, won 48.3% of the votes cast this week, the southern African country’s electoral commission said on Sunday. He was chosen to lead the Patriotic Front party after former President Michael Sata died in office in October, following a long and secretive illness. Mr. Lungu will govern Zambia over the next 20 months to complete Mr. Sata’s term until the next general election, scheduled for September 2016.
Mr. Sata was elected in 2011 on a populist pledge to recover more mining revenue and counter tax evasion. He also attacked the practices of Chinese miners in Zambia. But in office Mr. Sata warmed to Chinese investors and endorsed a flurry of contradictory mining policies.

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