The people of Zambia start a seven- day period of national mourning after
the death of President Levy Mwanawasa.

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA (JUNE 28, 2008) REUTERS -
The people of Zambia started a seven- day period of national
mourning after the death of President Levy Mwanawasa.
    Mwanawasa, a favourite of Western donors and strong critic of
Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, died in a French hospital on Tuesday (August
19) nearly two months after suffering a stroke. He was 59.
    Mwanawasa won praise abroad for tackling corruption and turning the
copper-rich southern African country into one of the continent's biggest
success stories, but opponents said he had failed to help most Zambians to
escape poverty.
     " He was a relentless advocate and universal observant of human
rights, rule of law and had been a committed campaigner against graft and
corruption, the essential tenets for good governance", former Zambian
President Kenneth Kaunda said.
    Vice President Rupiah Banda is expected to take over as acting
president, under Zambia's constitution, before early elections in the country
of about 11.5 million. But Mwanawasa's death has created political uncertainty
in Africa's biggest copper producer.
    Zambia's kwacha currency fell as much as three percent on the news of
Mwanawasa's death. 
    He suffered a stroke, his second, during an African summit in Egypt on
June 29 and was taken from there to a French hospital.
    Mwanawasa built his reputation as a lawyer for the former opposition,
cultivating an earthy image. He became vice-president in 1991 and stunned
observers after winning the presidency in 2001 by turning on former boss
Frederick Chiluba.
    The International Monetary Fund and other Western donors extended
billions of dollars in debt relief after he curbed government spending and
launched the biggest anti-corruption crackdown since Zambia won independence
from Britain in 1964.
    Mwanawasa, from a newer generation of African leaders, had been more
critical of Mugabe than presidents of many of Zimbabwe's other neighbours who
had stronger connections to the era of liberation struggles.
     "We have to unite as Zambians, you know very well that us
Zambians, we are always loving people, we love each other, there should be no
quarrels, but we should unite this time, whereby we are morning our beloved
President", said a Zambian resident.
    "We used to love him, and otherwise he has done very much in terms
of the economy, he improved the economy of Zambia, we are just hoping  we can
have somebody who can come to succeed him to be as he was, or to continue
where he left", added Peter Nkole.
    Mwanawasa once described Zimbabwe a "sinking Titanic" because
of its economic collapse.
    Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai described Mwanawasa as a
"champion of the democratisation" of Africa.
    At home, Mwanawasa's economic policies helped usher in strong growth,
which averaged 5 percent over the last six years, while inflation declined to
single digits in April 2006, for the first time in over three decades.
    Despite the debt relief package and major foreign investment, Mwanawasa
has battled a growing public perception that his economic success had done
little to tackle poverty.
    Treasury data at the start of the year indicated that 65 percent of
Zambians live on less than a dollar per day. Mwanawasa narrowly defeated
opposition leader Michael Sata in a presidential election in 2006. Sata
accused Mwanawasa of selling out Zambia to Chinese and Indian companies.