On Tuesday evening, October 28, President of Zambia Michael Chilufya Sata died in London. According to private Zambian media, the head of the state died in King Edward VII's Hospital, where he was treated for an undisclosed illness. So far, the authorities and hospital staff withhold comments.
As it was previously reported in a brief statement of the government, since October 19, 77-year-old Sata was on treatment abroad, accompanied by his wife and family. Last week, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Zambian independence was held by the Acting President Edgar Lungu.
The press started discussing health problems of Michael Sata in June, when he ceased to appear in public. Later it was reported that the head of the state was being treated in Israel.
In late September, the Zambian leader missed the scheduled appearance at the UN General Assembly. It was reported that the President had received medical treatment in the hotel room where he was staying. Doctors examined Satu and the US State Department sent him to the hospital.
Michael Chilufya Sata was born in 1937; he was elected as the President of Zambia in September 2011. Sata was the leader of the Patriotic Front, the largest party in the country. In the 1990s, he was the member of the first opposition party, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy.
Sata participated in the 2006 presidential election, but he lost to his opponent Levy Mwanawasa. In 2008, Sata took part in the election again. Rupiah Banda was another candidate, who won. In 2011, Michael Sata still beat Banda in the next presidential elections, gaining majority of votes – 43%.