CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT BILL: A THREAT TO ZAMBIA’S DEMOCRATIC INTEGRITY

CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT BILL: A THREAT TO ZAMBIA’S DEMOCRATIC INTEGRITY

Fellow Citizens,

The Constitution Amendment Bill recently proposed by the self-serving UPND government is not merely a set of technical adjustments it is a calculated and dangerous attempt to manipulate the very foundation of our democracy for narrow political gain.

At the heart of this scheme lies a direct assault on representative democracy. By removing the cap on nominated Members of Parliament under Article 68(2), the President would gain unchecked authority to appoint an unlimited number of MPs.

This dangerously opens the door to executive overreach, undermining the electorate’s will and creating a Parliament stacked through the backdoor.

Equally alarming is the proposed amendment to Article 52(6), which allows elections to proceed even if candidates have withdrawn or been disqualified.

This undermines the principle of fair competition, disenfranchises voters, and reduces our democracy to a mere procedural formality.

The proposed change to Article 81 to fix parliamentary terms irrespective of the first sitting may sound orderly, but it is riddled with ambiguity. What happens if Parliament is unable to convene due to national emergencies? This is not reform it is constitutional negligence.

Most troubling, however, is the secrecy surrounding the delimitation report. How can government push for the creation of new constituencies without disclosing the very report upon which this expansion is supposedly based?

Why hide it from the people? Is the plan to pass the new numbers first, then spring the new seats on us later engineered to favour the ruling party?

This lack of transparency is deeply disrespectful to the people of Zambia. It treats us not as equal citizens, but as children, expected to simply obey decisions made in the private residence of New Kasama. We say enough is enough.

Constitutional reform must be people-driven, not dictated by presidential whims. We must reject amendments that:

Expand unelected representation in Parliament;

Undermine electoral integrity and democratic competition;

Enable gerrymandering disguised as delimitation; and

Introduce tokenistic quotas without addressing systemic barriers.

This Amendment Bill is nothing short of a poisonous chalice sweetened with deceptive language like inclusivity and representation, but filled with intentions that corrode accountability, transparency, and democracy.

We, the people of Zambia, must rise and reject this Bill in its current form. Let us demand genuine, inclusive, and comprehensive constitutional reform driven by public consultation, transparency, and respect for the rule of law. Anything less insults our intelligence, our dignity, and our sovereignty.

Abraham Simpamba
Aspiring Independent Candidate – Chililabombwe Constituency
Together We Can
Ichalo Bantu!