International Desk

Unsubstantiated reports as to the untimely death of Zambian president, Levy Mwanawasa have been rubbished by the Zambian government. President Mwanawasa had been receiving treatment in France following a suspected stroke earlier in the week.

Zambian information minister, Mike Mulongoti made a state broadcast on Thursday to say reports from the foreign media were grossly inaccurate. He said President Mwanawasa remains in stable condition in a Paris hospital and is being treated for hypertension.

59-year-old Mwanawasa had been flown to a military hospital in Paris after collapsing from a stroke while attending an African Union Summit in Egypt.In his statement, Mulongoti called the media coverage of Mwanawasa’s wrongful death as “malicious,” but added that regular updates on the president’s condition would be given to quell wild speculation.Mwanawasa has been Zambian president since 2002 and has been one of the few African leaders to voice his disapproval of Robert Mugabe’s regime in Zimbabwe.