“I am impressed with works on Arcades Flyover Bridge,” President Edgar Lungu said in a post on his Facebook page on Thursday showing off a newly constructed flyover bridge with a spacious round about beneath it.
The post has also attracted mixed reactions from the social media fraternity some thanking the president while others unhappy with the aid funded project.
“This cost of this project is $246 million dollars. 85% is funded by the Govt of India which 15 % funding will come from the Zambian Govt. The duration of the project is 4 years. It was launched in September 2019. Take interest to know utuntu guys. Its practically not our money,” says Yosila Tigula.
Another tweep Roberto says; “Your Excellency you have scored highly on infrastructure development please lets spend the same energy in seeing to it that the economy is brought back to normal.”
“Congratulations Mr President we used to admire this things in south Africa now we have built them under your hardworking Presidency,thank you very much Zambia has been transformed patali,” says Malama Kapanda.
President Lungu faces sharp criticism from opposition claiming he has mismanaged the country ahead of the forthcoming 2021 elections.
Last year, a bill known in Zambia as “Bill 10,” was tabled in parliament proposing a change to how the parliament, justice system and central bank would be controlled.
However, a team of lawyers believing that Bill 10 was meant to consolidate power for President Edgar Lungu and his ruling Patriotic Front (PF) party, petitioned the constitutional court.
The Zambian constitutional court ruled by a 6-1 majority to dismiss a petition brought by the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) and the Chapter One Foundation, saying it has no jurisdiction over a legislative bill that remains in deliberations in the country’s parliament.
The courts ruled in December 2018 that Lungu could seek a third term under Zambia’s constitution because he did not serve a full term when following Sata; he narrowly defeated Hichilema in the first election in 2016, deepening the rift between the rival visions for Zambia and its struggling economy.
“The 2016 polls were marred by election-related violence between PF and UPND supporters, restrictions on opposition-aligned media, misuse of public resources by the ruling PF, and the use of the Public Order Act to restrict opposition rallies,” said Freedom House in its 2019 assessment.
