President Edgar Lungu is next month scheduled to travel to France and the Vatican for state visits.
President Lungu is scheduled to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican and France President François Hollande at the Élysée Palace in the first week of February.
President Lungu will embark on his European tour after the closure of the 26th AU Summit slated for January 26-31, 2016 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
According to leaked travel schedule from State House, these will be President Lungu’s last foreign trips before he embarks on a marathon re-election campaign.
Many observers believe that President Lungu’s latest trips will help bolster his international image before the next general election which is expected to be closely contested.
Last November, Pope Francis sent his special envoy to meet President Lungu at State House where the invitation was extended to the Zambian Head of State.
In the same month, President Hollande sent his special envoy and Ecology Minister Segolene Royal to invite President Lungu for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-21) in December but President Lungu could not travel to Paris.
President Lungu has undertaken about 17 foreign trips in his 12 month stay in office.
Mr Lungu, you need to stay home and sort out the myriad problems the country is facing. on the hand, i guess this is an opportunity for you to travel using tax payers money before you’re voted out of office. what a waste.
Why should an Islamist want to meet the Pope?
How will his international image impact a poor villager in Shamgombo’s choice of president?
Can this clueless president talk anything sensible with the pope i doubt
This is his last trip before he embarks on parking his bag out of plot one.kkkkkkkkkk
Funny Zambians. The President stays home and visits southern province to commission something, ati he is lazy, travels northern to commission something, he is lazy,goes quiet , he is lazy, now about to go to France ati we need him to be at state house because he doesn’t do anything. I wonder if the next president will ever take a foreign trip. But lets think of this, Our beloved opposition leader HH takes the slightest opportunity he has to attend foreign trips for him to be head, HE ACTUALLY PAYS FOR THEM HIMSELF SO THAT HE CAN SPEAK AND FEEL IMPORTANT, what if he becomes president and they are free, don’t you think it will be worse?
How can it POSSIBLY BE WORSE than this clown Lungu chartering A WHOLE PLANE just to take his friends on a joyride to New York?
And making us, the Zambian people, pay THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS for it? When his dullness has caused the economy here at home to collapse?
Let HH go where he wants. He pays himself.
LUNGU STEALS MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF OUR MONEY TO GO ON HIS HOLIDAYS!
@BONZO, MATURITY REQUIRES BEFORE YOU TELL US HOW MUCH IS STOLEN, YOU POINT OUT THE TERMS and CONDITIONS FOR A PRESIDENT, and vice president. What are the terms and conditions for a president in Zambia, and then How much has the president stolen? You and i all cried when Sata stayed in Zambia and did not make any foreign trips. Zambian watchdog, you and I all condemned. The common enemy we have is poverty and not the Lungu we are insulting. Some of us might never reach statehouse so lets give credit where it is due. And present a vision and not insults for Zambia.
Suppose we told the starving people of Shangmbo that we have 300,000 Dollars but we’ve decided to send ECL and some musicians (to play) in some foreign land. Would they think we’re wise?
@ yayayaya……to your very last question my response is “Nakalya!” you and I are resident where we understand how spending a dollar stretches thus HH having to spend his own money I think understands better thus being the business man that he is he must be spending where it brings him more returns to his coffers!
No amount of prayers from the Pope or anyone else will save you. Next we’ll hear you have gone to meet TB Joshua. Come August uleya!
He’s obviously traveling to the Vatican to source money for the house of prayer because Vatican has billions in reserves. Wait, maybe he wants pope to be the guest of honor to the official opening of the house of prayer. Screw it, Ceci est un président irresponsable jamais monter sur l’argent des contribuables, jamais.
Spot on!!! He is going to beg for money
Ala nafilungula kuli ba Lungu. Nobuloshi bwalaumfwika ati baya mukupanda.
You have cracked my ribs!!!!!!!!
Ata kalafwaya ukukaya kapepelako kuli bapope after kafilungusha pa zed makaka
I can’t wait for August….this time some politician will finally be buried…we will put some reinforced wires on his grave,pour in already made concrete and that will be the end….never to be heard of again
2016 vote for PF (Edgar )
I thank you
Ba Katondo boys ikaleni fye ku Pretoria uko.When there is an article about Auditor General’s report on endemic thieving in government, you are quiet..zero comment.When it comes to issues of elections,No1 to comment because you only think of your stomach iwe kolwe.
This is a good idea for our international relations but the disturbing part of this story is “according to leaked travel schedule from state house”. Where is our state security if such information is getting “leaked”? This is a serious matter and should be investigated into.
Kabiyeni uko bagili! Bushe nga mulesapota HH ninshi ni bonse mu Zambia? Speak for yourselves uku kwine ku matanga ya Ng’ombe! 2016 ni Edgar Lungu ifwe if u want go and hug a Zesco pole line you are even insulting people for their right to chose Edgar
Utumatole ukufota bafikala!if u want to insult twalaituka fwe bwino pano pene chinyo.
Reading comments nowadays one can easily dedeuce that PF has failed.This site used to be pro PF and Watchdog pro UPND.Today if you don’t check you are on you would think you are on Watchdog
Why is he still travelling? If you say there is need for fiscal discipline, why then do you go to Namibia, Ethiopia, France and Italy. Where is the fiscal discipline? Does he have to go to any of these places? He can excuse himself and explain that the country is in fiscal turmoil and he needs to stay home and deal with the problems. He can ask the resident ambassadors or send ministry officials to represent him. And where it is an official invitation like France and Italy, you reschedule to such a time when the country has picked up economically. You get more respect when you show that you care about your people.
17 trips in 12 months????? Can someone calculate what this translates to in terms of percentages or average trips per month?
IT SHOWS THAT FRANCE AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ARE IN SUPPORT OF THIS VIOLATOR OF DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS WHO IS ALSO ONE OF THE MOST AND WORST CORRUPT LEADERS ZAMBIA HAS HAD. SHAME ON FRANCE AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
do not start a war you cannot finish. please i beg…..
Please take with you that former father Bwalya maybe he can repent.
One love
Forr hh to ever step foot in state house, he must mull over becoming Lungu’s running mate, then in 2021, Limbi kuti ateka! Let him swallow his pride and learn from his 2011 blunder, otherwise he’ll continue gropping for the presidency in opposition!
HH would have been president in 2011 had he been a tactical political player. In 2011, due too his egocentric mind set and silly pride, he missed an opportunity for a coalition with Sata. Now he’ll forever reminisce his close approach to state house in 2015. This time around, he’ll be routed!
@ albatross do not forget power play. Indeed HH may have or may still not have been! Here we look at the buck stopping at the individual forgetting the individual has to take cognizance s/he belongs to a team of which he is a only a figure head. We can only speculate. Zambian politics and politicians are a Catch 22 nothing should be taken for granted. Sata might as well have dropped HH and never accorded him Hamunene’s position!
Get ready for next presidential assignments Presido…..
Well done President Edgar Lungu, already people abroad can see you are working.
You are young, intelligent and smooth. Zambia will progress under your leadership.
So sorry for the UPND supporters, there is nothing EL will do that you will support.
Your under 5, HH will never rule Zambia.
Start looking for another candidate to lead you and then maybe in 20 chakuti you will have a chance!
Viva Edgar Lungu
The Trips are blessed. It is time he travelled to Europe. Guess UPND are crazy jealous and panicked. They think they have Western approval!! In their head!