Zambia's President Frederick Chiluba, who caused a stir by his attempt to seek an unconstitutional third presidential term, announced yesterday he would not stand for re-election in polls due later this year.
The Information Minister, Mr Venon Mwaanga, announced the candidate of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) as Mr Levy Mwanawasa, a former vice president of Mr hiluba.
Mr Mwaanga said the party's decision-making body, the national executive committee (NEC), which met five times in the past few weeks, "has decided to nominate... Mwanawasa as its presidential candidate after an open and transparent selection process".
Mr Mwanawasa (53) served as first vice president for three years after 1991 elections, in which Mr Chiluba ousted the founding father Mr Kenneth Kaunda.
One of the country's most senior and respected lawyers, he resigned a few years later after he was involved in a car accident, and went into private legal practice. He currently holds no post in the MMD and was chosen ahead of much more senior party members.
Mr Mwaanga described the selection of Mr Mwanawasa as "a major triumph for the MMD internal democratic process and underlines the unselfish nature of the members of the NEC, who put party and national interests much above self interests."
Mr Chiluba caused political tension in the southern African country early this year when he tried to modify the constitution so that he could run for a third term.
He later abandoned his plan under massive local and international pressure.
Opposition parties have yet to choose their candidates for the vote.
The MMD, having swept to power in 1991, is slowly losing its popularity and more than 30 opposition parties have sprung up in Zambia.
The elections in Zambia must be held by October, when Mr Chiluba's second and final term ends. An official date has yet to be announced.
AFP reports from Johannesburg: The South African government warned yesterday that a planned two-day general strike would undermine the UN World Conference Against Racism, but organisers vowed to press ahead with it.
The cabinet issued a strongly-worded statement in Pretoria saying the strike to protest against privatisation planned by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) for August 29th and 30th would also hurt the country's economy.
"The conference stands in danger of being severely undermined by an organisation that professes to support its objectives.
"If COSATU were to have its way, the strike would paralyse the economy, as well as services critical for the conference to succeed," the statement said.
The week-long UN Conference Against Racism starts in the east coast port city of Durban on August 31st.
COSATU said earlier it would involve its 1.7 million members in the strike.
"Government's door remains open for continued engagement on all these (privatisation) issues," the cabinet statement said.
"But there is no intention at all on our part, to change the essence of this programme." COSATU, the South African Communist Party and the South African National Civic Organisations meanwhile issued a statement saying the strike would go ahead.
It was issued shortly after the government statement but made no reference to it.