Maureen responds to calls on her presidency

The first lady has finally come out with the statement outlining her future plans. She has made it very clear that she will not run the president in 2011. However, after reading the interview, one is left with the view that she may consider running for the highest office in the land at a later stage.

Maureen should be commended for coming out in the open and stating her position in a clear and unequivocal manner. This has definitely saved the country a lot of strife and grief. Her statement has effectively fired the starting gun for people within the MMD to come out and state their intentions. Just a word of caution, dr. Mwanawasa has declared that he will fire any minister that starts campaigning for the MMD leadership.

From the POST 25/02/2008

First lady Maureen Mwanawasa yesterday said she does not intend to contest the Republican presidency in 2011.In an exclusive interview at State House, Maureen said while she was grateful to all those who thought she had qualities to lead Zambia, she does not intend to contest the presidency because she wants concentrate on running her NGO, the Maureen Mwanawasa Community Initiative (MMCI) besides being a supportive wife to the Head of State.“I want to thank people who have supported my office and I would like people to continue supporting,” Maureen said. “I have told them I am not standing.I would like the vision which we have set out in the MMCI to be supported because it has changed the lives of men and women, the young boys and girls and our children.We have a lot of work which we would like to be attended to.I hope this interview can terminate the discussion on politics so that I can continue being a wife of a Head of State, giving him the right support that is expected from the first lady or a wife so that we can carry on our activities as MMCI.”