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{{Infobox Officeholder
|name          = Rupiah Banda
|image        = Rupiah Banda.jpg
|office        = 4th [[List of Presidents of Zambia|President of Zambia]]
|vicepresident = [[George Kunda]]
|term_start    = 29 June 2008
|term_end      = 23 September 2011<br>{{small|[[Acting (law)|Acting]]: 29 June 2008 – 2 November 2008}}
|predecessor  = [[Levy Mwanawasa]]
|successor    = [[Michael Sata]]
|office1      = [[List of Vice Presidents of Zambia|Vice President of Zambia]]
|president1    = [[Levy Mwanawasa]]
|term_start1  = 9 October 2006
|term_end1    = 2 November 2008
|predecessor1  = [[Lupando Mwape]]
|successor1    = [[George Kunda]]
|birth_name    = Rupiah Bwezani Banda
|birth_date    = {{birth date and age|1937|2|13|df=y}}
|birth_place  = [[Gwanda]], [[Southern Rhodesia]]<br>{{small|(now [[Zimbabwe]])}}
|death_date    =
|death_place  =
|party        = [[Movement for Multi-Party Democracy]]
|spouse        = Hope Mwansa Makulu {{small|(Deceased)}}<br>Thandiwe Banda
|children      = 7
|alma_mater    = [[Addis Ababa University]]<br>[[Lund University]]<br>[[Wolfson College, Cambridge]]
|religion      = [[Anglicanism]]<ref>[http://www.banda4zambia.com/press/news/viewnews.cgi?category=5&id=1225092565 ]{{dead link|date=June 2011}}</ref>
}}
'''Rupiah Bwezani Banda''' (born 13 February 1937) is a [[Zambia]]n politician who was [[President of Zambia]] from 2008 to 2011.


During the Presidency of [[Kenneth Kaunda]], Banda held important diplomatic posts and was active in politics as a member of the [[United National Independence Party]] (UNIP). Years later, he was appointed as [[Vice-President of Zambia|Vice-President]] by President [[Levy Mwanawasa]] in October 2006, following the latter's [[Zambian presidential election, 2006|re-election]].<ref name=Shapi>Shapi Shacinda, [http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=qw1160400961250B251 "Mwanawasa warns challenger, names new cabinet"], Reuters (''IOL''), October 9, 2006.</ref> He took over Mwanawasa's presidential responsibilities after Mwanawasa suffered a stroke in June 2008,<ref name=VOA>James Butty, [http://voanews.com/english/archive/2008-07/2008-07-01-voa8.cfm?CFID=61434207&CFTOKEN=25482061 "Zambian President Has Had a History of Hypertension, Says Information Minister"], VOA News, July 2, 2008.</ref> and following Mwanawasa's death in August 2008, he became acting President. As the candidate of the governing [[Movement for Multiparty Democracy]] (MMD), he narrowly won the [[Zambian presidential election, 2008|October 2008 presidential election]], according to official results.<ref name=Sworn>[http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=84&art_id=nw20081102170239312C293933 "Zambia: Banda sworn in, riots spread"], Sapa-DPA (''IOL''), November 2, 2008.</ref>
Opposition leader [[Michael Sata]] defeated Banda in the [[Zambian general election, 2011|September 2011 presidential election]], and Sata accordingly succeeded Banda as President on 23 September 2011.<ref name=Defeat>[http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-09/23/c_131155939.htm Sata wins Zambia 2011 presidential election]</ref>
==Early life and diplomacy==
Banda was born in the town of Miko, [[Gwanda]], [[Southern Rhodesia]] (now [[Zimbabwe]]); his parents had come from [[Northern Rhodesia]] to find employment prior to his birth, and he was sponsored by a local Dutch Reformed Church preacher (and later, the family of [[B. R. Naik]]) to continue his education into adulthood. He became involved in politics when he joined the youth wing of the UNIP in 1960.
He was the UNIP's representative in Northern Europe in the early 1960s,<ref name=Over>[http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/10/10/1964172.htm "I Am Overwhelmed By the Appointment, Says Banda"], ''Sunday Post'' (tmcnet.com), October 10, 2006.</ref> and in 1965 he was appointed as Zambia's Ambassador to [[Egypt]] (the [[United Arab Republic]]). While there, he became friends with [[UNITA]] leader [[Jonas Savimbi]], and the decision to allow UNITA to open offices in [[Lusaka]] at that time has been attributed to Banda's influence.<ref name="dates">Sellstr̀eom, Tor. ''Sweden and National Liberation in Southern Africa'', 2002. Page 404.</ref> Banda became Ambassador to the [[United States]] on April 7, 1967.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=lxUgAAAAMAAJ&q=%22rupiah+banda%22&dq=%22rupiah+banda%22&pgis=1 Diplomatic List, 1967], U.S. Department of State.</ref> He served as Ambassador to the U.S. for about two years, then returned to Zambia to serve as Chief Executive of the Rural Development Corporation for about two years and subsequently as General Manager of the National Agriculture Marketing Board for a similar length of time. He was then appointed as [[Permanent Representative]] to the [[United Nations]], and while in this position he also headed the U.N. Council for [[Namibia]]. After about a year at the U.N., he was appointed to the Zambian Cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs.<ref name=Over/> During his brief stint as Foreign Minister (1975–1976<ref>[http://www.statehouse.gov.zm/index.php/about-state-house/the-president President Rupiah Bwezani Banda]. Statehouse.gov.zm (2009-12-16). Retrieved on 2011-06-21.</ref>), Banda was occupied by the task of attempting to broker a cease-fire in [[Angola]].<ref name=Over/>
Banda married his first wife, Hope Mwansa Makulu, in 1966 and the couple had three sons together. Hope Mwansa Banda (born August 29, 1941), died in [[South Africa]] on October 11, 2000.<ref name=lusakatimes/> She was buried in Leopards Hill Cemetery.<ref name=lusakatimes>{{cite news|first=|last=|title=President Banda pays tribute to late wife  |url=http://www.lusakatimes.com/2011/05/07/president-banda-pays-tribute-late-wife/ |work=[[Lusaka Times]] |publisher= |date=2011-05-07|accessdate=2013-09-12}}</ref> His second wife, Thandiwe Banda,  a political science teacher, is more than thirty years younger than Banda.<ref name=post>{{cite news|first=|last=|title=Thandiwe narrates how she married Rupiah  |url=http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=9419 |work=[[The Post (Zambia)]] |publisher= |date=2010-05-21|accessdate=2013-09-12}}</ref><ref name=zz>{{cite news|first=|last=|title=‘I cant divorce Thandiwe i love her’ Niwenye Tyala Balankula says Rupiah Banda  |url=http://zibanizambia.com/2012/08/21/i-cant-divorce-thandiwe-i-love-her-niwenye-tyala-balankula-says-rupiah-banda/ |work=Zibani Zambia |publisher= |date=2012-08-21|accessdate=2013-09-12}}</ref> Thandiwe Banda served as th [[First Lady of Zambia]] during his presidency from 2008 to 2011.  In addition to his sons with his first wife, Hope Mwansa Banda, Banda also has two sons from previous relationships and a set of fraternal twins from his current marriage to Thandiwe Banda.
==Politics==
Banda was elected as a [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Munali]] Constituency in 1978 and lost the seat to Mr. Simeon Kampata in 1983. Although he was defeated in the 1988 election, he took the issue to court. He also served for a time as Minister of State for Mines.<ref name=Over/>
In 1991, he was defeated in Munali Constituency by Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) candidate [[Ronald Penza]]. Although he initially intended to run again for the seat in the 1996 election, he supported the UNIP's boycott of the election.<ref name=Over/>
After President Mwanawasa was re-elected in September 2006, he appointed Banda as Vice-President on October 9, 2006 along with a new cabinet. He later joined the MMD after his appointment.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7600831.stm "Zambian VP to lead ruling party"], BBC News, September 5, 2008.</ref> Banda's appointment was widely viewed as a means of rewarding eastern Zambians for supporting the MMD in the election, as this was the first time that easterners had done so.<ref name=Shapi/>
Prior to a planned summit of the [[Southern African Development Community]] (SADC) in August 2007, Banda was sent by Mwanawasa to improve relations with neighboring [[Zimbabwe]] following Mwanawasa's criticism of Zimbabwean President [[Robert Mugabe]].<ref>[http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20070801220450289C873939 "Zambian leader 'wants to make up with Mugabe'"], AFP (''IOL''), August 1, 2007.</ref>
==As acting president==
After Mwanawasa suffered a stroke while attending an [[African Union]] summit in Egypt on June 29, 2008, Banda became acting President.<ref name=VOA/> He subsequently delivered a series of optimistic but vague updates on Mwanawasa's health. These updates were greeted with widespread skepticism, but Banda insisted that he had "no reason to lie".<ref>[http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20080725114637910C642354 "Mwanawasa's condition 'promising'"], Sapa-AFP (''IOL''), July 25, 2008.</ref>
As Vice-President, Banda also acted as the leader of government business in the National Assembly; however, when the National Assembly met on August 5, 2008, following Mwanawasa's stroke, Banda appointed the Minister of Defense, [[George Mpombo]], to lead the government's parliamentary business instead.<ref>[http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=84&art_id=nw20080805180547484C318403 "Zambian parliament meets"], Sapa-Associated Press (''IOL''), August 5, 2008.</ref>
Mwanawasa never recovered from his stroke and died while still hospitalized in Paris on August 19, 2008. Expressing "immense grief and deep sorrow", Banda announced his death to the nation and declared a seven-day period of national mourning, urging Zambians to "remain calm and mourn our President with dignity".<ref>[http://www.statehouse.gov.zm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=414&Itemid=47 "STATEMENT BY HIS HONOUR THE VICE PRESIDENT, MR. RUPIAH BANDA, MP., ON THE DEATH OF THE PRESIDENT"], Zambian Presidency website, 18 August 2008.</ref> Banda officially took over as acting President prior to a new presidential election, which according to the constitution should be called within 90 days of Mwanawasa's death.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/08/20/europe/OUKWD-UK-ZAMBIA-PRESIDENT.php "Zambian VP takes charge"], Reuters (''International Herald Tribune''), August 20, 2008.</ref>
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Rupiah Banda being sworn President of Zambia CROP.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Pres. Banda being sworn in.]] -->
Banda filed an application to stand as the candidate of the MMD on August 26, 2008. On the same day, the MMD in Eastern Province released a statement in support of Banda's candidacy.<ref>[http://allafrica.com/stories/200808270497.html "Four File for Presidency"], ''The Times of Zambia'', Ndola (allAfrica.com), August 27, 2008.</ref> The MMD National Executive Committee chose Banda as the party's presidential candidate in a secret ballot on September 5. He had been widely expected to win, and he received 47 votes against 11 for [[Ngandu Magande]], the Minister of Finance. On this occasion, Banda promised to "unite the party and the entire nation" and to "continue implementing [Mwanawasa's] programs".<ref>[http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20080905174022655C441736 "Zambia's ruling party picks candidate"], Sapa-AFP (''IOL''), September 5, 2008.</ref>
The presidential by-election was held on October 30. Initial results showed Banda's main challenger, [[Michael Sata]] of the [[Patriotic Front (Zambia)|Patriotic Front]] (PF), in the lead, but as votes from rural areas were counted, Banda steadily closed the gap and ultimately overtook Sata. Final results on November 2 showed Banda with 40% of the vote against 38% for Sata. Banda was sworn in at State House on the same day, using his speech on the occasion to call for unity. The PF alleged fraud and refused to recognize Banda's victory, while Sata's supporters rioted in [[Lusaka]] and [[Kitwe]].<ref name="Sworn"/>
==Presidency==
As President, Rupiah Banda was focused on economic development, travelling abroad to promote Zambian trade to other world leaders. In December 2010 he travelled to Egypt to meet with President Hosni Mubarak.<ref>[http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/12/2881/Business/Economy/Zambia-eyes-Egyptian-investment.aspx Zambia eyes Egyptian investment – Economy – Business – Ahram Online]. English.ahram.org.eg (2010-12-30). Retrieved on 2011-06-21.</ref>
In mid-2009 it was announced that the MMD National Executive Committee had chosen Banda as the party's candidate for the [[Zambian presidential election, 2011|2011 presidential election]]. Some criticized this, arguing that the nomination process should be open to other candidates; Mpombo, the Defense Minister, resigned from his post in July 2009 while criticizing the process as undemocratic. President Banda has since welcomed others to challenge him for the nomination at the MMC Conventions taking place across the country.<ref>[http://www.lusakatimes.com/2011/01/10/im-ready-challenged-banda/ ] {{wayback|url=http://www.lusakatimes.com/2011/01/10/im-ready-challenged-banda/ |date=20110113080745 }}</ref>
After taking office, Banda dismantled much of the anticorruption effort put into place by his predecessor, Mwanawasa.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bearak|first=Barry|title=Frederick Chiluba, Former President of Zambia, Dies at 68|work=The New York Times|date=20 June 2011|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/world/africa/20chiluba.html}}</ref>
Banda's Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations was [[Dickson Jere]].
==Defeat and Immunity Removal==
[[Michael Sata]], leader of the opposition Patriotic Front, defeated Bwezani Banda in the [[Zambian general election, 2011|September 2011 presidential election]], ending his three-year presidency.<ref name=Defeat/>
On the 15th March 2013, Banda became the second head of state in Zambian history to have his presidential immunity removed. This was due to accusations of abuse of authority, corruption and the misappropriation of oil revenue.<ref>http://www.mwebantu.com/2013/03/15/rupiah-banda-loses-immunity-from-prosecution/</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.presidentbanda.com/ Campaign Website]
* {{Wayback |date=20091027055628 |url=http://www.geocities.com/maiddie/bandar.html |title=2007 biography of Rupiah Banda from "Famous Zambians" Geocities website }}
* [http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/10/10/1964172.htm Long interview with Rupiah Banda]
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Lupando Mwape]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Vice President of Zambia]]|years=2006-2008}}
{{s-aft|after=[[George Kunda]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Levy Mwanawasa]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Presidents of Zambia|President of Zambia]]|years=2008–2011}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Michael Sata]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{ZambianPresidents}}
{{ZambianVicePresidents}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banda, Rupiah}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Zambia to the United Arab Republic]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Zambia to the United States]]
[[Category:Foreign Ministers of Zambia]]
[[Category:Members of the National Assembly]]
[[Category:Movement for Multi-Party Democracy politicians]]
[[Category:People from Southern Province]]
[[Category:Permanent Representatives of Zambia to the United Nations]]
[[Category:Presidents of Zambia]]
[[Category:United National Independence Party politicians]]
[[Category:Vice Presidents of Zambia]]
[[Category:Zambian Anglicans]]
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