JOHN SANGWA SAYS POTENTIAL COURT CHALLENGES ON DELIMITATION UNLIKELY TO AFFECT AUGUST ELECTIONS
By Nelson Zulu
Constitutional Lawyer John Sangwa says Zambia is unlikely to face a constitutional crisis ahead of the August 13, 2026 general elections, even if citizens challenge the delimitation process once the report is published in April.
Electoral Commission of Zambia-ECZ Chief Electoral Officer Brown Kasaro recently indicated that the commission will await the outcome of the courts should any citizen challenge the delimitation process, assuring that the ECZ would act in line with any court decision once the delimitation report is published.
But Mr. Sangwa explains that although every citizen has a constitutional right to challenge delimitation outcomes in court, the election date is fixed by law and cannot be altered.
He says any such legal challenges are therefore likely to be resolved within the existing electoral timetable to ensure they do not interfere with the holding of the general elections.
Mr. Sangwa added that even though the delimitation report will be published about three months before the elections, courts and other stakeholders are guided by strict statutory timelines and are expected to act accordingly.
ECZ is currently holding public sittings across the country as part of the delimitation exercise and is expected to publish the names and boundaries of 70 newly created constituencies in the government gazette in April this year.
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This exercise was supposed to have been done outside the Elections Season.
So if there are litigations over the delimitateds Constituencies, how does the Electoral Commission of Zambia accept nominations ba Sangwa , when matters are in court?