Lt. Gen. Christon Tembo (1944 – 6 March 2009) was a Zambian politician and army commander. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996 and the sixth
vice-president of 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 Cons ...
from 1997 to 2001. He ran for
president in the
December 2001 election and took third place, with about 13% of the vote.
In 1989, he and others were charged with plotting to overthrow President
Kenneth Kaunda, which was judged as an act of treason worthy of the death penalty. He was defended in court successfully by attorney
Levy Mwanawasa, who was elected as President in 2002.
He retired from military service in 1990 and joined the
Movement for Multiparty Democracy as vice-president of the party under
Frederick Chiluba, who became President in 1991. He fell out with Chiluba over the latter's attempt to gain a third term in office in 2001 and then formed the
Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) as a breakaway party, which he led until his death.
He died on March 6, 2009 in
Lusaka
Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...
.
"Christon Tembo is Dead"
, ''Zambia Daily Mail'', March 8, 2009.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tembo, Christon
Vice-presidents of Zambia
1944 births
2009 deaths
Foreign Ministers of Zambia
Zambian military personnel
Movement for Multi-Party Democracy politicians
Forum for Democracy and Development politicians
Members of the National Assembly of Zambia