“BETRAYAL OF DEMOCRACY!” – CSOs TORCH CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT BILL IN FIERY STATEMENT
In a rare and thunderous show of unity, eleven leading civil society organizations have ripped apart the Zambian government’s proposed Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2025, calling it a “betrayal of democracy” and a calculated political scheme that undermines transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.
The joint statement, issued by Transparency International Zambia, Chapter One Foundation, ActionAid, and others, paints a chilling portrait of a government hellbent on manipulating constitutional reforms for partisan benefit. “This process is not democratic reform.
It is strategic sabotage dressed in legal jargon,” the statement warns.
Among the fiercest criticisms is the government’s introduction of the Mixed Member Proportional Representation system, which the CSOs slam as cosmetic, tokenistic, and “a symbolic shell.” With reserved seats for women, youth, and people with disabilities pegged below current representation levels, the coalition accuses the state of paying lip service to inclusion.
“Fewer women may sit in Parliament under this so-called reform than they do now. That is not progress it’s regression,” the CSOs declared. They also raised alarm over the complete exclusion of local government reforms, branding it a betrayal of grassroots democracy.
The proposal to create 55 new constituencies came under withering fire for its secrecy. The Electoral Commission of Zambia has withheld the delimitation report that justifies the change, prompting accusations of “opacity, manipulation, and potential gerrymandering.”
“This process reeks of political interference. Without the delimitation report, Zambians are being asked to trust a government that refuses to show its work,” the statement said. “That is not governance. That is deception.”
The coalition didn’t spare Parliament either. It shredded the proposal to dissolve Parliament just a day before elections, calling it constitutionally flawed and “an operational disaster waiting to happen.” The move, they argue, would make fair elections impossible and expose the entire process to legal challenges.
Equally explosive was the criticism of the executive branch. Increasing the number of presidential nominees in Parliament was labeled “a direct assault on representative democracy” that expands executive control at the expense of the people’s voice.
“This is an insult to the doctrine of separation of powers. It turns Parliament into an extension of State House,” they said. “Zambia cannot afford a legislature packed with loyalists.”
On local governance, the proposed re-entry of MPs into local councils was slammed as a revival of outdated, toxic power structures. “This is a slap in the face of decentralization. It returns us to the days of confusion, conflict, and centralized failure,” the statement reads.
The CSOs also criticized the removal of term limits for mayors and council chairpersons, saying it risks turning local government into fiefdoms of entrenched power, patronage, and political stagnation.
In what may be the most damning paragraph of all, the statement accuses the government of deliberately deceiving the public. “They claimed there are no constitutional provisions to promote the inclusion of women and youth yet even in the new proposal, there’s no mandate to appoint them. This shows the dishonesty behind the reforms.”
With no real consultation, no public hearings, no access to supporting documents, and no accountability, the civil society alliance has issued a bold demand: halt the process immediately and reboot the reforms through a citizen-led, transparent, and inclusive mechanism.
“This is not what Zambians fought for. This is not the democratic promise of our Constitution. These reforms must be thrown out now,” the CSOs concluded.
May 29, 2025
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