Levy Patrick Mwanawasa
Zambia
Mr. Levy Patrick Mwanawasa is the current President of Zambia since 2001.
Professional Information
Professional Areas:
Government
Employer:
Government of Zambia
Position:
President
Working primarily in:
Zambia
Description of Work:
Mr. Levy Patrick Mwanawasa was born in Mufulira, the second of 10
children. He holds a law degree from the University of Zambia, and
worked in private law firms from 1974 until 1978 when he formed his own
firm Mwanawasa & Company. He left the practice upon being appointed
as vice president by President Frederick Chiluba in 1991. He retired
from the position however in 1994, citing corruption as the reason.
In
August 2000 the National Executive Committee of MMD elected Mwanawasa
as its presidential candidate for the 2001 election. He began his first
term after a narrow election win in 2001. Though initially seen by some
as a handpicked puppet of his predecessor Frederick Chiluba, he was
quick to remove Mr Chiluba's aides from the government.
He has
made the fight against corruption a centrepiece of his presidency,
giving the green light to investigations into alleged graft during the
Chiluba era. He pressed for the former president's immunity from
prosecution to be lifted.
Western donors have praised him for
boosting economic growth to above 5% and attracting foreign
investments, helped by his anti-graft campaign.The International
Monetary Fund, World Bank and Western donors have rewarded Mr Mwanawasa
by cutting Zambia's foreign debt to $502 million from an estimated $7.2
billion in June 2005.
President Levy Mwanawasa won a second term
in September 2006, having campaigned on his economic record. Mr
Mwanawasa took 43% of the vote compared with the 29% of his main rival,
Michael Sata, who alleged that he had been cheated of victory. Some
unrest followed the vote.
The president's health is an issue,
especially for his opponents. He was involved in a near-fatal road
accident in 1992 which left him with slurred speech. In April 2006 he
suffered a minor stroke. Supporters and detractors alike agree that he
displays a high level of integrity in his public life. He is married
with six children.
(Information found at bbc.co.uk and wikipedia.com)
Biographical Information
Levy Patrick Mwanawasa
(At a Glance)
Place of Origin: Zambia