Zambia's leader Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, has died. Dr. Mwanawasa died on Tuesday, in Percy Military Hospital in Paris, France.

Vice-President Rupiah Banda made the announcement on state television, Tuesday afternoon. President Mwanawasa suffered a stroke at an African Union summit in Egypt on June 29 and was then flown to France, where he had remained in hospital, until his death.

In April 2006, he suffered a minor stroke four months before general elections. His death comes two months after he was admitted to Percy Military Hospital. Mr. Banda has also announced seven days of national mourning for the funeral of the Zambian leader.

Dr. Mwanawasa had been a favourite with the International Monetary Fund and other Western donors, who extended billions of dollars in debt relief.

This was after he cracked down on government spending and launched an anti-graft drive. He came to prominence recently for being one of the African leaders most critical of the violence in Zimbabwe.

Much has been the talk of who should succeed President L.P. Mwanawasa. There are indeed a lot good candidates.

Qualities of a President

What then do Zambians look for in a Presidential candidate? First of all, they demand honesty, strong leadership, management skills, and moral integrity in the nation's 4th president. There is some emphasis on military experience, business experience, and religious commitment. Though political experience comes out to be vital, it does not guarantee good leadership.

Beyond these shared views, most people do regard marital fidelity to be essential in a president. Furthermore, public opinion should be considered in decision making.

One then asks what quality they consider most important for the next president to possess. A second question would be to rate the specific important qualities a president might have.  I believe that the response would be Honesty and Strong Leadership.

With the current attitude towards corruption and accountability, honesty would be the top-named quality by all electorates. With it comes the competency in... Read more »