Hichilema deserves continuity, term limits take us backwards – Chilufya Tayali

Hichilema deserves continuity, term limits take us backwards – Tayali

ECONOMIC and Equity Party (EEP) leader Chilufya Tayali is advocating against presidential term limits, describing them as a setback to national development.

The opposition leader expressed support for continued leadership under President Hakainde Hichilema.

In a video posted on his Facebook page last night, Tayali said limiting the number of terms a president can serve destabilises countries by forcing frequent leadership changes.

Tayali said he was speaking in his personal capacity and not on behalf of any government institution.

“I’m against that presidential limit and this is me. I’m not in government. I’m not anywhere,” he said.

He argued that while elections should continue to be held every five years, voters, not constitutional limits should determine whether a leader remains in office.

“We should maintain five-year elections but remove term limits. If a leader performs poorly, we can vote them out, just as we did with Edgar Lungu. But if a leader performs well, we should not restrict ourselves from re-electing them.”

“We must stop blindly imitating other countries like the United States and instead govern ourselves according to what truly works for us,” Tayali added.

He said constant changes in leadership take countries backwards, adding that this informed his decision to support President Hichilema.

“Presidential limits are changing leaders now and then. It takes our country backwards. That is why I am supporting Hakainde Hichilema today,” he said.

“I want him to continue because he has sown seeds which are germinating now. What is this germination? Germination in terms of investment. You have seen investor confidence. Investor confidence does not come when there’s instability. Investor confidence does not come in an environment where leaders are always changing. It doesn’t,”

By Daniel Banda

Kalemba February 27, 2026