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(TIMES) Banda toasts Obama win ...

Banda toasts Obama win ...Cabinet to be announced after president’s trip to South Africa
By Times Reporter

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has congratulated Democratic Party candidate, Barack Obama on his election as president of the United States of America.

Mr Banda also said he would announce his Cabinet after he returns from South Africa where he is expected to attend a Southern African Development Community (SADC) emergency summit on Zimbabwe.

He was responding to questions from journalists at Mass Media Complex in Lusaka where he had gone to have his pictures for the presidential portrait taken yesterday.

The president said that he was a keen follower of the US presidential elections and he liked Mr Obama’s inaugural speech.

“I was very much interested to listen to his inaugural speech. I am glad that I made mine before his otherwise you would think I had copied from him. It was a very lovely, lovely election,” he said.

And Mr Banda said he had not yet decided on his new cabinet but hoped that he would be able to finish with the matter after he returns from the South African summit.

“I have to think about it. We had our first Cabinet meeting this morning just to ask my colleagues to go back to work. You know we have been out of office for so long, there are a lot of things that we need to attend to. So there is still time ahead for that.

“I will be travelling to South Africa on Saturday to attend the emergency summit of the SADC. So when I come back I will think about it,” he said.

Mr Banda also said that Patriotic Front president, Michael Sata has a right to accept or reject the results of the just ended presidential election because the law provides for that.

Meanwhile, US ambassador to Zambia, Donald Booth is confident of America’s continued support to Zambia in areas of education and health following the election of Mr Obama as new president.

Mr Booth said in Lusaka yesterday when he joined the rest of the world in congratulating Mr Obama on his election victory that his country would continue to promote peace and mutual respect.

“As you might be aware, during the campaigns senator Obama stressed his desire to strengthen cooperation between the United States and Africa in areas of HIV/AIDS, malaria and education,” he said.

He said now that the elections in Zambia and those of the US have passed, his government’s call would be to work closely with Zambia’s new president, Mr Banda in promoting peace, prosperity and mutual respect.

“This is the 56th time that the Americans have gone into elections. Barack Obama is our new president after winning with about 51 per cent of popular votes though counting is still going on,” he said.

Mr Booth congratulated Mr Obama on his victory as US president adding that the new president would only be inaugurated in January while he prepared for his government and senior officials.

He said as per American traditional, losing candidate Mr McCain had not only conceded defeat, but also congratulated Mr Obama and pledged to work together for the sake of unity and prosperity of the country.

Labels: BARACK OBAMA, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 5:17 PM