Earlier this week Zambia appointed Guy Scott to the post of president, making him the country's first white leadersince independence from Britain 50 years ago -- and the first white head of state in a democratic African country. It's a remarkable moment, and it says a lot about this particular country's remarkable success in navigating the complexities of post-colonial ethnic politics.
On Oct. 29, the Zambian cabinet named Scott, a Zambian of British origin, as the successor of President Michael Sata, who had died the previous day in a London hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for an undisclosed illness. Scott will serve as acting president until voters choose his replacement in a by-election, which has to be held within the first 90 days after his appointment. (Somewhat ironically, he won't be able to campaign in the election, since a clause in the constitution specifies that only those whose parents were born in Zambia are eligible to stand for the office, and Scott's were from Scotland.)
