On January 25, 2015, Minister of Justice and Defense, Edgar Lungu was sworn in as the new president of Zambia in a special election that followed the death of former President Sata in October 2014.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, President Lungu thanked the voters and pledged to continue moving the country forward.
“I am humbled eternally and indebted to you all, my fellow citizens,” he said, “The bottom line is that we want the country to go forward and to banish poverty in our midst.”
According to the Zambian election commission, President Lungu won the election with a 48.3% majority in the country’s 150 constituencies and will serve the remainder of President Sata’s term until elections are held again in 2016.
In announcing his cabinet, President Lungu kept the current Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda as well as the current Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba and appointed Inonge Wina as the country’s first female vice president.
With another election at the end of 2016, President Lungu has promised that he and his cabinet will work to build and rebuild the economy of the continent’s second biggest copper producer.
