>>May 5, 2001 >> >> Zambia's President Abandons >> Re-election Bid >> >> By HENRI E. CAUVIN >>HARARE, Zimbabwe, May 4 — With his party in revolt >>over his bid for another five years in office, President >>Frederick Chiluba of Zambia said tonight that he would >>abandon his effort to change the Constitution's two-term limit >>and would step down when his second term ends later this year. >> >>The surprise announcement came a day after members his own >>party petitioned the speaker of the Parliament to begin >>impeachment proceedings against Mr. Chiluba, and it capped a >>week of fierce political dueling between the 58-year-old >>president and his fast-expanding roster of opponents. >> >>"I will leave office at the end of my term," Mr. Chiluba said on >>national television tonight, according to Reuters. "Let's take >>national interests into consideration. This is in the best interest >>of the nation." >> >>In announcing his decision, Mr. Chiluba said he was dissolving >>the cabinet and would form a new one in the coming days. He said that >>after his term was over he would like to stay on as president of his >>party. >> >>It was a remarkable turnabout. On Monday, Mr. Chiluba >>appeared poised to press on with his controversial bid for a >>third term. After sidelining some of the party's most ardent >>dissidents, including the country's vice president, Chiluba >>loyalists in the president's Movement for Multiparty Democracy >>had effectively nominated Mr. Chiluba to be the party's >>presidential candidate in this year's election. >> >>In the days that followed, opposition to his efforts, already >>building, all but exploded in Zambia as the party expelled the >>vice president and a host of other cabinet ministers opposed to >>a third term, to ensure parliamentary support for a constitutional >>amendment. University students took to the streets, members of >>Parliament made moves to begin impeachment proceedings and a large >>protest was planned for Saturday. >> >>It was apparently too much for Mr. Chiluba, who came to power in 1991 >>championing multiparty politics and term limits only to begin >>rethinking such principles as he neared the end of his own era. But >>Zambians would not let him forget his promises. It was only 10 years >>ago that they ended the 27-year rule of Kenneth Kaunda, and the >>mounting protests made clear that they did not want to head down that >>path again. >> >>Mr. Chiluba apparently heard them, and so tonight, instead of >>planning more protests, Zambians were celebrating, said Edith Z. >>Nawakwi, a leader of renegade members of the governing party and, >>until her expulsion from the party, the minister of labor. >> >>"We're all very happy that he has put the interest of the country at >>heart," Ms. Nawakwi said in a telephone interview. >> >> >>New York Times > _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------