The Constitutional Court ruled that former president Edgar Lungu could not run for re-election in 2026 - a year after Lungu announced his return to active political life.

The opposition Tonse Alliance selected Lungu as its presidential candidate in the 2026 elections to challenge President Hakainde  Hichilema.

Lungu had already served the maximum two terms allowed by law, the court ruled, and after the death of President Michael Sata in October 2014, he was elected president in January 2015 to finish the remaining 20 months of his predecessor's term. In his argument, Lungu said it was not a valid vote since he hadn't served a full five-year term. The court disagreed and ruled that it was a full term of office.

Lungu served a second term from September 2016 to August 2021, and was defeated by Hakainde Hichilema in the 2021 presidential election.

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"The verdict rendered today was expected. For months, the hands of political manipulation have, with undeniable force, steered us toward a conclusion foreseen not by the merits of reasoned argument or constitutional fidelity but by the weight of orchestrated design and political machinations… I accept this verdict. I accept it not with resignation but with resolve...," Lungu  wrote in a Facebook post.

During his tenure in office, Lungu was accused of corruption, and his wife and other family members face corruption charges in court, which he said is an attempt to prevent him from seeking re-election a third time.

Meanwhile, several civil society organizations, including the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ), the church, political parties, and some political parties, called upon the general public to accept and respect the Constitutional Court's judgment declaring former President Edgar Lungu ineligible for the 2026 elections.