Mwanawasa, Levy

Mwanawasa, Levy (b. 3 Sept. 1948). President of Zambia, 2002–  Born in Mufulira, he studied law and graduated from the University of Zambia in 1973. He became a distinguished lawyer, and was the first Zambian to be appointed advocate to the High Court of England and Wales. In 1989 he rose to prominence when he defended former Vice-President Christon Tembo and others charged with plotting to overthrow the government of Kaunda. Mwanawasa joined the ruling Movement for a Multi-party Democracy (MMD), and in 1991 was chosen by Chiluba to become his Vice-President. He resigned in 1994, however, because of a row with a fellow minister. To universal surprise, Chiluba chose him as candidate for the Presidency in 2001, and he narrowly won the elections in the following year. Mwanawasa was considered a man of the utmost integrity, and he was untainted by the mistakes of his predecessor. Nevertheless, he was charged with ruling a bankrupt country that struggled to overcome an AIDS epidemic.