ECL ELIGIBILITY CASE GETS UNDERWAY ON MONDAY
The Constitutional Court is on Monday June 7th, 2021 expected to begin hearing a Petition challenging President Edgar Lungu’s nomination to contest the 2021 August polls.
According to a notice of hearing, the petition will be heard in the afternoon at 14:30 hours.
In this Petition, Legal Resource Foundation Limited, Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa and Chapter One Foundation wants the court to declare President Lungu’s nomination null and void for allegedly contravening article 106 (3) of the Constitution.
In the said article a presidential candidate who has held office twice is not eligible to contest for an election.
The Petitioners also want the court to order the Electoral Commission of Zambia remove all the nomination documents filed in by the President.
However, amidst such claims, President Edgar Lungu who is the first respondent in the matter has argued that he has not twice held office citing article 106 (6) of the Constitution.
He says the period from 2015 -2016 does not constitute a term according to the ruling of the court in the Danny Pule and Bampi Kapalasa Case.