Mwanawasa

Mwanawasa's full name is Levy Patrick Mwanawasa. He is fondly called and is popular as Mwanawasa across Zambia. He was the third President of Zambia.

Mwanawasa's rise to the president's post was unique. He first became the Solicitor General of Zambia in 1985. Before that, he attained degree in Law from the University of Zambia. In 1986, the following year, he decided to quit from the post of Solicitor general and concentrated only in his private practice at his law firm named Mwanawasa and Company.

In 1991 Mwanawasa was elected as the vice president of Zambia. His tenure as the Vice President of Zambia ran from 1991 to 1994. In 1994 he stepped down from the office on receiving information of large-scale corruption and gross abuse of power being indulged in by some of his aides and colleagues. Though Mwanawasa contested the presidential election in 1996, he suffered defeat and went into exile quitting active politics.

But in 2001 again, Mwanawasa contested for the President's post after being unanimously chosen as the presidential candidate by the National Executive committee of Zambia. He became the third president of Zambia defeating three other candidates in the process. He was sworn-in as the third President of Zambia in 2002.