LAZ threatens to go to court over Constitutional Amendment bill
By Staff Reporter
The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has threatened to go to court to stop Constitutional Amendment Bill which they say takes Zambia’s democracy backwards.
And LAZ has also described as retrogressive the provision creating Parliament but leaving the important task of stipulating the number of members of Parliament to an Act of Parliament.
At its meeting held on 13th July, 2019, the LAZ Council further objected to the introduction of a mixed member electoral system, provisions relating to a coalition government in a Presidential system and uncertainty regarding the constitution and composition of the Judiciary.
The LAZ Council has since resolved to put into motion a number of interventions with the ultimate aim of achieving a rethink about a number of retrogressive provisions in the Bill.
These include seeking the intervention of the wisdom of the Judiciary by moving the Constitutional Court to pronounce itself on a number of these provisions and strike out all retrogressive provisions from the Bill.
The LAZ Council further said that it would also engage the Ministry of Justice to convey its concerns and reach out to other stakeholders in the constitution making process to join hands with it in building consensus on some provisions of the Bill.
