Guy Scott

Last updated

Charlotte Harland
​
(m. 1994)​
His Excellency Dr
Guy Scott
Guy Scott.png
Scott in August 2014
President of Zambia
Acting
In office
29 October 2014 –25 January 2015
Children4
Alma mater University of Cambridge
University of Sussex
University of Oxford

Guy Lindsay Scott (born 1 June 1944) is a Zambian politician, who served as acting President of Zambia from 2014 to 2015, and was the Vice President from 2011 to 2014.

Contents

Scott became acting president upon Michael Sata's death in office on 28 October 2014. [1] [2] This made him the first head of state of European descent in Africa since F. W. de Klerk in 1989, and the first-ever under a democratically elected government. [3]

Early life and education

Guy Lindsay Scott was born on 1 June 1944 in the border city of Livingstone, the pre-1935 capital of what was then Northern Rhodesia (today Zambia). His father, Alec Scott, was a doctor who had emigrated to Northern Rhodesia from Glasgow, Scotland in 1927 to work on Cecil Rhodes' railways, whilst his mother Grace, had emigrated from England in 1940. [4] Scott is the brother of Alexander "Sandy" Scott, a noted scientist, who was awarded the Fisheries Society of the British Isles's Beverton Medal in 2014 for his contributions to fisheries science. [5] [6] During the 1950s, his father was a member of parliament for the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, representing Lusaka as an Independent. Scott's eventual participation in politics was largely inspired by his father, who had been an ally of Zambian nationalists and had even founded several newspapers that advocated for independence. [7]

Scott completed his primary and secondary education at Springvale School and Peterhouse Boys' School, respectively, both located in what was then Southern Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe). He continued his education in England, where he received his undergraduate degree in economics in 1965 from Trinity Hall, a constituent college of Cambridge University. Scott then returned home to join the government of newly independent Zambia, in which he was a planner within the Ministry of Finance. During this time he was also the deputy editor of a publication called The Business and Economy of East and Central Africa. [8]

In 1970, Scott established an agribusiness venture known as Walkover Estates, which focused on producing high-value crops such as irrigated wheat, strawberries, and a wide range of off-season vegetables. Strawberries produced by Walkover Estates were often featured in local Sainsbury's supermarkets. During this time, Scott was considered a model employer who spoke the local language and was known for his inclusive parties. [9]

Scott eventually returned to England to continue his education at the University of Sussex, where he studied cognitive sciences and artificial intelligence, receiving his Master's degree in 1983 and his doctorate in 1986. His doctoral thesis was entitled "Local and global interpretation of moving images". [10] He went on to study robotics at Oxford University. [11] [1]

Political career

In 1990, Scott joined the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) and was elected to be chair of its Agriculture Committee during the first party convention.[ citation needed ]

He was elected as Member of Parliament for Mpika Central on the MMD ticket in the National Assembly during the 1991 general election and was subsequently appointed as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. He presided over a number of policy reforms and was responsible for managing the "drought of the century" in January and February 1992. There was no reserve maize in Zambia and none in southern Africa, so emergency arrangements had to be made to import it from overseas and move it into Zambia on dilapidated rail and road networks. He also oversaw the drought recovery "bumper harvest" of 1992–93. However, he was sacked by President Chiluba on 15 April 1993. [12]

In 1996, Scott resigned from the MMD to form the Lima Party together with Ben Kapita, the president of the ZNFU. He piloted the merger between the Lima Party and other parties including Dean Mungomba's Zambia Democratic Congress to form the Zambia Alliance for Progress. In 2001, he returned to politics and joined the Patriotic Front, returning to the National Assembly after being elected MP for Lusaka Central in the 2006 general election.[ citation needed ]

Vice-President

Guy Scott attending the United States-Africa Leaders Summit. President Obama Chats With Mozambique's President Guebuza and Zambia's Vice President Scott.jpg
Guy Scott attending the United States–Africa Leaders Summit.

A presidential election was held on 20 September 2011, and final results released on 23 September 2011 showed the Patriotic Front's presidential candidate, Michael Sata, winning over MMD's Rupiah Banda by a large margin. Scott was sworn in as Vice-president of the Republic of Zambia on 29 September 2011, the first white Zambian leader since its independence.[ citation needed ]

Shortly after his election, The Guardian quoted Scott as saying: "I have long suspected Zambia is moving from a post-colonial to a cosmopolitan condition. People's minds are changing: they are no longer sitting back and dwelling on what was wrong about colonialism". [13] Referring to a 2012 meeting with former U.S. President George W. Bush (who sponsors various charity initiatives in Zambia), he said, "when they introduced me as Vice President, he thought they were kidding". [14]

Acting President

After Michael Sata's death on 28 October 2014, Scott became acting president for an interim period of no more than ninety days until a new election could be held to permanently fill the office, as required by Article 38 of the Constitution of Zambia. [15]

Since the parentage clause of Article 34 of the Constitution of Zambia required that both parents of presidential candidates be "Zambian by birth or descent," Scott was considered ineligible to stand for the office due to his parents being Scottish and English immigrants. [16] That provision had been put in place by President Frederick Chiluba to prevent Kenneth Kaunda – whose father was born in what became Malawi – from becoming president again. [17] However, a previous judgement by the Zambian Supreme Court, in a similar case in 1998, could have validated him as a potential candidate. [18] [ better source needed ] Nevertheless, Scott did not stand as the presidential candidate for his political party, the Patriotic Front.

On 3 November 2014, Scott dismissed Edgar Lungu as Secretary General of the Patriotic Front; however, he reinstated him a day later, [19] after street protests in Lusaka. [20] On 17 December 2014, Scott rejected calls from cabinet members asking him to resign as acting president. [21]

Lungu, standing as the Patriotic Front's candidate, won the January 2015 presidential by-election and succeeded Scott as Zambia's sixth president on 25 January 2015. [22]

Post-presidency

Scott left the Patriotic Front before the 2016 general election. [23] [24]

In 2019, he published Adventures in Zambian Politics: A Story in Black and White, a book about both the history of Zambia and his own political career. In 2021, he joined the United Party for National Development. [25]

Personal life

Scott married British-born doctor Charlotte Harland, in a ceremony at the Lusaka Civic Centre in 1994. [26] They currently reside in Lusaka. [27] [28] Scott has Parkinson's disease. [29]

Related Research Articles

The history of Zambia experienced many stages from colonisation to independence from Britain on 24 October 1964. Northern Rhodesia became a British sphere of influence in the present-day region of Zambia in 1888, and was officially proclaimed a British protectorate in 1924. After many years of suggested mergers, Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland were merged into the British Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Zambia</span>

The politics of Zambia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president of Zambia is head of state, head of government and leader of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government, while legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. Formerly Northern Rhodesia, Zambia became a republic immediately upon attaining independence in October 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of Zambia</span> Head of state and of government in Zambia

The President of the Republic of Zambia is the head of state and head of government of Zambia and is the highest executive authority in the country. The President is elected by popular vote for a five-year term and is responsible for the administration of the government, overseeing the implementation of national policies, and representing Zambia in international affairs. The office was established at Zambia's independence in 1964. The current President is Hakainde Hichilema, who assumed office on August 24, 2021, following the 2021 presidential election where his party, the United Party for National Development, won a majority. The President's role includes appointing the Cabinet, serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Zambian Defence Force, and ensuring the enforcement of laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Party for National Development</span> Political party in Zambia

The United Party for National Development (UPND) is a prominent political party in Zambia, founded in December 1998 by Anderson Mazoka, a former executive of the Anglo American Corporation. The party emerged as a significant opposition force following a split from the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD). The UPND positions itself as a centrist party with strong ideological commitments to social and economic liberalism, advocating for policies that support free-market principles, human rights, and democratic governance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Zambia</span>

Elections in Zambia take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a presidential system. The President and National Assembly are simultaneously elected for five-year terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriotic Front (Zambia)</span> Social democratic political party in Zambia

The Patriotic Front (PF) is a political party in Zambia, founded in 2001 by Michael Sata. It emerged as a breakaway party from the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) after Sata was not selected as the MMD's presidential candidate for the 2001 elections. The PF is primarily supported by the youth and the urban poor, and it gained significant political influence over time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hakainde Hichilema</span> President of Zambia since 2021

Hakainde Hichilema is a Zambian businessman, farmer, and politician who is the seventh and current president of Zambia since 24 August 2021. After having contested five previous elections in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2016, he won the 2021 presidential election with 59.02% of the vote. He has led the United Party for National Development since 2006 following the death of the party founder Anderson Mazoka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Sata</span> Zambian politician (1937–2014)

Michael Charles Chilufya Sata was a Zambian politician who served as the fifth president of Zambia from 2011 until his death in 2014. A social democrat, he led the Patriotic Front (PF), a major political party in Zambia. Under President Frederick Chiluba, Sata was a minister during the 1990s as part of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) government. He went into opposition in 2001, forming the PF. As an opposition leader, Sata – popularly known as "The King Cobra", emerged as the leading opposition presidential contender and rival to President Levy Mwanawasa in the 2006 presidential election, but was defeated. Following Mwanawasa's death, Sata ran again in 2008, losing to Rupiah Banda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupiah Banda</span> President of Zambia, 2008 to 2011 (1937–2022)

Rupiah Bwezani Banda was a Zambian politician who served as the fourth president of Zambia from 2008 to 2011, taking over from Levy Mwanawasa. Banda was an active participant in politics from early in the presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, during which time he held several diplomatic posts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vice-President of Zambia</span> Second-highest office in Zambia

The vice-president of Zambia is the second highest position in the executive branch of the Republic of Zambia. The vice-president was previously appointed by the president before the amendment of the Constitution in 2016. Under the amended Constitution, when the president dies, resigns or is removed from office, the vice-president automatically assumes the presidency, unlike when the Constitution demanded holding of presidential by-election within 90 days. This is so because now every presidential candidate shall pick a vice-presidential running mate and the two will share the vote meaning voting for a president is an automatic vote for the vice-president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Zambian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Zambia on 30 October 2008 following the death of the incumbent President Levy Mwanawasa on 19 August 2008, as the elections had to be called within 90 days of his death. It was expected that there would be internal problems within the ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) as Mwanawasa had not declared a successor prior to his death, but Acting President Rupiah Banda was selected as the MMD's candidate without apparent problems. Michael Sata stood as the candidate of the Patriotic Front (PF), while Hakainde Hichilema stood as the candidate of the United Party for National Development (UPND). Godfrey Miyanda stood as the candidate of the Heritage Party.

Catherine Namugala a Zambian politician. She was the First Deputy Speaker of the Zambian Parliament until 2021. She was nominated to that position by President Edgar Lungu, on 18 September 2016. She is the former Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources in the Zambian Cabinet. She also served as the Member of Parliament (MP), representing Mafinga in the Zambian Parliament from 2001 until 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Zambian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Zambia on 20 January 2015 to elect a president to serve the remainder of the term of President Michael Sata, following his death on 28 October 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Zambian general election</span>

General elections were held in Zambia on 11 August 2016 to elect the President and National Assembly. A constitutional referendum was held alongside the elections, with proposals to amend the bill of rights and Article 79.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Kaseba</span> First Lady of Zambia (2011 - 2014)

Christine Kaseba is a Zambian physician, surgeon and politician who served as the First Lady of Zambia from September 2011 until her husband's death in October 2014. She is the widow of former President Michael Sata, who died in office on October 28, 2014. Kaseba made an unsuccessful bid for President of Zambia in the January 2015 special presidential election to succeed her husband. She was appointed Zambian Ambassador to France on April 16, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Lungu</span> President of Zambia (2015–2021)

Edgar Chagwa Lungu is a Zambian politician who served as the sixth president of Zambia from 26 January 2015 to 24 August 2021. Under President Michael Sata, Lungu served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Defence. Following Sata's death in October 2014, Lungu was adopted as the candidate of the Patriotic Front in a Convention of the Patriotic Front in Kabwe, for the January 2015 presidential by-election, which was to determine who would serve out the remainder of Sata's term. In the election, he narrowly defeated opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema and took office on 25 January 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death and state funeral of Michael Sata</span> 2014 death of the President of Zambia

Michael Sata, the President of Zambia, died on 28 October 2014 in London at the age of 77, after suffering from an undisclosed severe illness. The state funeral took place on 11 November and was attended by nine heads of state, nine foreign representatives, two heads of multilateral organizations and two former African political leaders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Sampa</span>

Miles Bwalya Sampa is a Zambian politician, currently serving as Member of Parliament for Matero Constituency and president of the Patriotic Front. The veteran politician previously served as Mayor of Lusaka, having been elected in August 2018. His election in 2021 would see him return to Parliament representing Matero Constituency, a position he served from 2011 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Harland Scott</span> Former Interim First Lady of Zambia (born 1963)

Charlotte Harland Scott is a British-born Zambian economic and social development specialist who served as the First Lady of Zambia from October 2014 to January 2015 during the tenure of her husband, interim President Guy Scott. She had previously served as the Chief of Social Policy and Economic Analysis, Planning Monitoring and Evaluation for UNICEF Zambia from 2007 until 2012. In 2016, Scott contested the Lusaka Central seat in the National Assembly during the general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidential eligibility of Edgar Lungu</span> 2026 presidential eligibility of Edgar Lungu

Edgar Lungu's eligibility to run in the 2026 Elections remains a contentious and ongoing legal issue. Lungu, who served as the sixth President of Zambia from January 2015 to August 2021, assumed office following the death of President Michael Sata. After winning the 2015 presidential election and being re-elected in 2016, he was defeated by Hakainde Hichilema in the 2021 general election. The controversy centers on whether his partial term from 2015 should count towards the two-term limit stipulated by the Zambian Constitution.

References

  1. 1 2 Laing, Aislinn (29 October 2014). "I am Africa's first white democratic leader, says Zambian vice-president". The Daily Telegraph . Cape Town. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "Cabinet appoints Guy Scott as Interim President – reaction from Gen Miyanda". Lusaka Times . 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  3. ↑ Karimi, Edith (29 October 2014). "Zambia's Guy Scott makes history as white president in sub-Saharan Africa". CNN.
  4. ↑ Laing, Aislinn (29 October 2014). "I am Africa's first white democratic leader, says Zambian vice-president". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  5. ↑ Namwali Serpell (30 October 2014). "Zambians don't care about our new president's skin colour". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "FSBI Information: The Medals". Fisheries Society of the British Isles . Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  7. ↑ "Guy Scott of Zambia now sub-Saharan Africa's only white head of state". Los Angeles Times . 29 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  8. ↑ "Guy Scott Profile". Who's Who Southern Africa. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  9. ↑ "Guy Scott's whiteness is not the issue in Zambia". The Conversation. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  10. ↑ Scott, Guy L. (1986). Local and global interpretation of moving images (D.Phil. thesis). University of Sussex.
  11. ↑ Brady, M.; Brint, A.; Dickson, W.; Foulkes, P.; McIvor, A.; Scott, G. (24 January 1989). "Vision and the Oxford Autonomous Guided Vehicle". IEE Colloquium on Computer Vision for Robotics: 5/1–520.
  12. ↑ Jacqueline Audrey Kalley, Elna Schoeman & Lydia Eve Andor (1999) Southern African Political History: A Chronology of Key Political Events from Independence to Mid-1997 Greenwood Publishing Group, p703
  13. ↑ Zambia's white vice-president hails 'cosmopolitan' new era, The Guardian , 4 October 2011
  14. ↑ "Dr Scott, I presume?". The Spectator . 10 March 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  15. ↑ Zambia's Guy Scott makes history as white president in sub-Saharan Africa, Faith Karimi, CNN, 29 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Kim Yi Dionne (29 October 2014). "Another Zambian president dies in office. What happens now?". The Washington Post . Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  17. ↑ "BBC News – Guy Scott's rise to Zambia's presidency". BBC News. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  18. ↑ "After the Cobra: What does the law say about Vice-President Guy Scott?". 28 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  19. ↑ Zambian President Guy Scott in row over Edgar Lungu sacking, BBC News, 4 November 2014.
  20. ↑ SAPA (5 November 2014). "Zambia: Scott rescinds decision to dismiss Lungu". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  21. ↑ "Zambia Cabinet Ministers Ask President Scott to Resign". VOA. Reuters. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  22. ↑ Matthew Hill, "Zambian Ruling Party's Edgar Lungu Inaugurated as President", Bloomberg, 25 January 2015.
  23. ↑ "A close political race gets angrier". africa-confidential.com. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  24. ↑ "Zambia : I never endorsed HH, I only declared support for UPND, my party is DF-Guy Scott". 30 March 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  25. ↑ "Former VP Dr Guy Scott joins UPND". ZambiaNews365.com. 16 March 2021. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  26. ↑ Zimba, Jack (20 November 2014). "Interview – Charlotte Scott: I was the cheekiest child". Jack Zimba. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  27. ↑ "A look at British-born Zambian Economic and Social Development Specialist Dr. Charlotte Harland Scott". Rainbow news zambia. 26 January 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  28. ↑ "Zambia : Kambwili visits ailing Guy Scott, declares his readiness for 2021". LusakaTimes.com. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  29. ↑ Scott, Guy (Guy Lindsay), 1944– (2019). Adventures in Zambian politics : a story in black and white. Boulder, Colorado. ISBN   9781626377592. OCLC   1044772938.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

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Political offices
Preceded by Vice-President of Zambia
2011–2014		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of Zambia
Acting
2014–2015		Succeeded by
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