News / Africa
White Africa President rejects cabinet's call for resignation
18 Dec 2014 at 01:13hrs | Views
Zambia's acting president Guy Scott rejected calls by cabinet ministers for him to resign on Wednesday as two sides within the ruling party intensified a power struggle ahead of an election next month.
The Patriotic Front (PF) has been rocked by a bitter leadership dispute since president Michael Sata died in October and was replaced by his deputy Scott, who become Africa's first white head of state in 20 years.
Fourteen out of 17 PF ministers supported a vote of no confidence against Scott - who ineligible to run in the Jan. 20 election - and called for an urgent cabinet meeting to discuss his removal, foreign affairs minister Harry Kalaba said.
Scott said the law supported his position and he would not resign.
"I will not be blackmailed to allow the illegal use of government resources for partisan interests. I will abide by the law," he said in a statement.
Scott himself is ineligible to run for president because his parents were born abroad.
Cabinet ministers have the right to remove the president in an official vote but Scott said in his statement that only he could call and chair such a meeting, making a vote unlikely.
The Patriotic Front (PF) has been rocked by a bitter leadership dispute since president Michael Sata died in October and was replaced by his deputy Scott, who become Africa's first white head of state in 20 years.
Fourteen out of 17 PF ministers supported a vote of no confidence against Scott - who ineligible to run in the Jan. 20 election - and called for an urgent cabinet meeting to discuss his removal, foreign affairs minister Harry Kalaba said.
"I will not be blackmailed to allow the illegal use of government resources for partisan interests. I will abide by the law," he said in a statement.
Scott himself is ineligible to run for president because his parents were born abroad.
Cabinet ministers have the right to remove the president in an official vote but Scott said in his statement that only he could call and chair such a meeting, making a vote unlikely.
Source - Reuters
