Africa-Press – Zambia. Levy Mwanawasa had been very straight about his joining politics. However, he was not taken serious about his stance especially after he was involved in an accident while serving as Vice president.
Zambians thought his being woken up at 1AM on that day in 2001 that he was being called at State House to be the ruling party MMD presidential candidate was aimed at sheilding his predecessor Frederick Chiluba.
Unfortunately or fortunately, even Frederick Chiluba himself did not understand Mwanawasa. “He is garbage who has been brought up to be Chiluba’s puppet,” his opponents campaigned against him ahead of the 2001 elections.
“This is the MMD New Deal, I will be a man of my own,”Mwanawasa dismissed his opponents allegations.
This was after Chiluba’s bid to run for unconstitutional third term failed. He overlooked the so called inner cycle confidants that among others included Michael Sata then Senior Minister and Chief Executive Officer of the ruling party, MMD the position called National Secretary, Minister Eric Silwamba and went and woke up Mwanawasa.
Mwanawasa narrowly won the disputed 2001 election held in the month of December during rain season. Only 2 percent separated him with his close contender Anderson Mazoka of the then opposition UPND.
Mwanawasa was a very unpopular president and faced a number of challenges both in his own party MMD and Zambians whom he needed to prove that indeed he was his own man.
From the Archives segment, today we run this video of President Mwanawasa who later became a darling of Zambians. He won his second term in 2006 unfortunately died in office in 2008.
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