ZambianPresident Levy Mwanawasa remains in intensive care at a hospital in theEgyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh where he suffered a stroke Sunday whileattending pre-African Union summit meetings. Zambian Vice President Rupiah Banda said in a statement earlier thatPresident Mwanawasa was being attended to by doctors and that his condition isstable.
Zambian Information Minister Mike Mulongoti told VOA President Mwanawasa, who is 59, has had a history ofhypertension.
"Thecountry has been informed that the president had a stroke. He's inthe hospital in Sham el-Sheikh in Egypt, that he is out of danger. He is quitestable. It is a known factthat has been hypertensive. I think it could be part of the reason why thiscould have delivered," he said.
Mulongoti said PresidentMwanawasa has been working long hours to bring development to Zambia.
"Our president is a veryhard working man. It's not the question of him going to Egypt. Even back homehe has a very heavy schedule and this could have contributed. We sincerelybelieve that his commitment to the development of the country was on top of hisagenda. So he spent all his time working very hard. We were in fact worriedthat he was not giving time for him to take some rest," Mulongoti said.
He said President Mwanawasahad just completed by-elections campaign swing in the eastern part of thecountry before traveling to Egypt for the AU summit.
"You know when you arecommitted to your development agenda, it becomes difficult for you toappreciate that you could be hurting yourself.We had just come from campaigning in a by-election in the eastern partof Zambia. And he was relaxed for a few days, and then from there he came backto Lusaka and he came off to Egypt. So first of all, that pressure was toomuch," Mulongoti said.
Sometimes strokes can leadto paralysis and speech impairment. Mulongoti said he does not think PresidentMwanawasa had been speaking since the stroke.
"I don't think so because heis in the intensive care. So I don't think it would be possible for people toexpect him to be speaking," he said.
Mulongoti said Zambians arepraying for their president to get well soon.
"They are concerned thattheir president is not well, and they expect that he will recover quickly andbe able to join them and continue with his responsibilities to ensuring thatZambia develop, and that the worth of the people improve," Mulongoti said.
He said Vice PresidentRupiah Banda has meanwhile taken charge of the leadership of the country inline with the constitution.