Zambian President Michael Sata has died at the age of
77 after receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness,
the government says.
President Sata, who was being treated in the UK, died in
London's King Edward VII hospital on Tuesday night.
Media said that he died after "a sudden onset [of]
heightened heart rate".
It is not immediately clear who will succeed the
president. The issue may be decided by the Zambian
cabinet which meets on Wednesday morning.
"It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing on
of our beloved president," cabinet secretary Roland
Msiska said on national TV.
He said that Mr Sata's wife and son were at his
bedside.
"I urge all of you to remain calm, united and peaceful
during this very difficult period," Mr Msiska added.
Gravelly-voiced as a result of years of chain-smoking,
Michael Sata rose to political prominence in the 1980s.
He quickly earned a reputation as the hardest-working
governor while in charge of Lusaka and as a populist
man of action. But he was also known for his
authoritarian tendencies, an abrasive manner and a
sharp tongue - and his critics say his nickname of "King
Cobra" was well-deserved.
A devout Catholic, Mr Sata had worked as a police
officer, railway man and trade unionist during colonial
rule. After independence, he also spent time in London,
working as a railway porter, and, back in Zambia, with a
taxidermist company.
On the fourth attempt, Mr Sata won presidential
elections in 2011. At first he looked as if he would keep
promises to tackle corruption and create jobs and
prosperity. But his term in office was marred by a
crackdown on political opposition and a decline in the
economy.
'King Cobra'
The president's death comes just days after Zambia
celebrated the 50th anniversary of independence from
the UK.
He is the second Zambian leader to die in office after
Levy Mwanawasa in 2008.
Earlier this month reports in Zambia said that President
Sata had gone abroad for a medical check-up amid
persistent speculation that he was seriously ill.
After he left the country, Defence Minister Edgar Lungu
was named as acting president.
Vice-President Guy Scott has regularly stood in for the
president at official events. But he is of Scottish
descent and his parents were not born in Zambia, so he
may fall foul of a constitutional clause on parentage
which would nullify his candidacy.
Known as "King Cobra" for his venomous tongue, Mr
Sata was elected Zambia's president in 2011, defeating
the then incumbent Rupiah Banda whose party had been
in power for 20 years.
He has rarely been seen in public since returning from
the UN General Assembly last month, where he failed to
make a scheduled speech.
