Zambia's ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) ended its national convention Sunday with newly-elected party president Levy Mwanawasa calling its members to overwhelm the opposition with good works.

"Overwhelm the opposition with what you can do for this country, not by praying that the opposition makes enough mistakes not to be elected," Mwanawasa was quoted by the official Zambia News Agency as saying at the closing session.

Mwanawasa, also the president of Zambia, was officially adopted as the party's candidate for the 2006 presidential elections at the convention that opened Thursday in Kabwe, 150 km to the north of national capital Lusaka.

The 58-year-old Zambian leader had been the ruling party's acting president for over two years and was elected by the 1,300 delegates from nationwide as its president at the convention, beating the party's incumbent vice-president Enock Kavindele.

Mwanawasa, who is seeking a second term in 2006, accused the opposition of thriving on exaggerating whatever little mistakes the ruling party made, saying that they have convinced themselves that insults are the best way of teaching and weakening those in the government.

He urged party members to share his vision and join him in fighting corruption, HIV/AIDS and improving the welfare of the people.

The convention also elected a new National Executive Committee.

Former finance minister Katele Kalumba became the new national chairman replacing Vernon Mwaanga. Former national chairman Boniface Kaweimbe lost his position to Michael Mabenga.

Founded in 1990, MMD won the power in Zambia's first multiparty elections in 1991, bringing to end the rule of Kenneth Kaunda's United National Independence Party that had been in power since the country's independence in 1964.

Mwanawasa came to power in 2001 as the MMD candidate after former MMD leader Frederick Chiluba failed in his bid to amend the constitution to accommodate his third-term ambitions.

Source: Xinhua