Zambia President Levy Mwanawasa declared himself fit on Thursday to run for a second five-year term in elections later this year despite suffering a mild stroke, state-run radio reported.
Opposition leaders have argued Mwanawasa, who has a history of hypertension, should step down because of poor health.
”I felt this is the right moment for me to show myself to the people, so that they can see for themselves that I am actually more fit than those saying I should not run for election,” Mwanawasa said in remarks broadcast from a ceremony marking the reopening of a road.
Mwanawasa sought treatment in London in April after suffering the stroke and is expected to return to the British capital next month for a routine check-up, according to his team of Zambian doctors.
He pledged on Thursday to travel the length and breadth of the country to win support for another five-year term in elections expected before the start of the rainy season in November. No dates have been set for the voting.
Mwanawasa, who succeeded the Southern African country’s first democratically elected president, Frederick Chiluba, has won international praise for fighting corruption. Opposition leaders, however, accuse him of failing to improve livelihoods in the copper-rich country where most live in poverty. — Sapa-AP