Lusaka, 25 Jan - (ANA) - Edgar Lungu was today sworn in as Zambia’s new president, overcoming a close political challenge and divisions within his own Patriotic Front party to secure a narrow majority in an election called after the death of his predecessor in October. Mr. Lungu, who headed both the Justice and Defense Ministries in the previous government, will serve out the remainder of President Michael Sata’s term until new elections in the fall of 2016. According to the country’s election commission, Mr. Lungu, 58, won about 48.3 percent of the ballot in Zambia’s 150 constituencies. His main challenger, Hakainde Hichilema, a wealthy businessman and economist who leads the United Party for National Development, received about 46.7 percent of the vote. The turnout was less than one-third of the electorate — a low level of participation that some analysts attributed to heavy rains that slowed the delivery of ballot boxes to remote areas and forced the extension of voting by a day in some parts of Zambia, a former British colony whose economy is heavily dependent on copper exports. In a contentious move after Mr. Sata’s death, the interim government raised royalty taxes imposed on mining companies, which warned that the increase could cost thousands of jobs and possibly lead them to close some mines. Mr. Lungu said that the tax increase would be maintained, Reuters reported. (ANA)

FA/ANA/25 January 2015---------