Zambia's opposition is entering the 2026 general election without Edgar Lungu, the politician who for years united its biggest parties and inspired much of its support. Lungu, the country's former president, died in South Africa on June 5, 2025.
Opposition parties have since been competing to inherit his political legacy while trying to convince voters they remain a credible alternative to incumbent Hakainde Hichilema's ruling United Party for National Development (UPND).
Lungu had led the now dismantled Patriotic Front (PF) party, a faction of which became part of Zambia's overall opposition Tonse Alliance in 2024. The former president had also intitially been fronted as the coalition's 2026 presidential candidate.Edgar Lungu was Zambia's president from 2015 to 2021Image: Philippe Wojazer/Reuters/Pool/picture alliance
'The Edgar Lungu factor is still at play'
Political analyst Neo Simutanyi says Lungu's absence exposes an unresolved leadership question within the opposition coalition.
