MOSCOW, October 29 (RIA Novosti) — Vice President of Zambia Guy Scott has been appointed to the role the country's acting president following the death of incumbent President Michael Sata, becoming the only white African leader since colonial rule, The Telegraph reported Wednesday.
"I am the acting president at the moment. It has just been passed by cabinet," Scott told the newspaper, describing the situation as a "bit of a shock to the system."
Zambia's president Michael Sata, 77, died in London on Tuesday.
"Everyone is getting used to calling me 'Your Excellency', and I'm getting used to it. There are truckloads of guys following me on motorbikes. It's very strange," Zambia's new interim leader was quoted by The Telegraph as saying.
Scott, 70, also mentioned that certain members of the Zambian establishment were opposed to him being the vice president. However, he said the Cabinet chose him to temporarily act as the country's leader due to his "seniority within the party."
Scott is to serve for 90 days until an election to determine a new president. He told The Telegraph he would not run for president "because constitutionally, I can't".
Southern Africa's Zambia became independent from the United Kingdom in 1964.
