President Mwanawasa of Zambia Dies in Paris

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, 59, died on Tuesday in the Percy de Clamart military hospital near Paris (France), reliable sources said.
Mwanawasa had been evacuated to France on 29 June after suffering a stroke while attending the African Union summit in June in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.

He chaired the Southern African Development Community (SADC) before South African president Thabo Mbeki took over the chairmanship on 16 August during the just-ended SADC summit.

Late President Mwanawasa had been heading Zambia since 27 December 2001 after an election highly disputed by the opposition.

Mwanawassa had been elected against nine candidates including former Vice-Presidents Godfrey Miyanda and Christon Tembo but particularly Anderson Mazoka of the Unified Party for National Development (UPND).

He had been reelected for a second five-year term in 2006.

Zambian VP Rupiah Banda had been ruling the country since Mwanawasa’s evacuation to France.

Source African Press Agency

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