LET’S AMEND THE CONSTITUTION FOR A HYBRID ELECTION OF PROPORTIONAL PARTY REPRESENTATION SELECTED MPs & INDIVIDUALLY ELECTED MPS
By Miles Sampa, MP
June 3rd, 2024
The people of South Africa were able to vote for a coalition government because of their proportional representation democracy system. Zambia must copy and paste for a better democracy but make it hybrid where citizens will vote for both parties and individuals. Parties can earn seats based on votes obtained. This will ensure all ideologies are represented in Parliament for better checks and balances on the government of the day.
From the current 156 elected MPs, the number should be increased to 250 with 100 seats reserved for political parties and shared on a weighted basis depending on votes achieved with a minimum of 20,000 votes. The selected list of names from political parties would be lodged to ECZ before elections under guidelines that it should be of national character that is capture all 10 Provinces and implicitly all 73 tribes of Zambia. To be elected MP in Zambia one needs to have a lot of money to acquire both the primary adoption with a party and win the actual elections to from citizens of
a constituency. Tulyemo!
Lists from parties would therefore capture good people to represent the people inside the parliament with or without money. This way far left our One Zambia ,One Nation motto would become a guaranteed reality inside Parliament. In addition the far left (Socialist) or far right (Captalists) and mid centre (liberal) parties would be present inside Parliament for proper check and balances or oversight roles on the President and his Executive.
Imagine Sean Tembo, Sakwiba, Silavwe, Cosmo, Wynter, Dr Fred Mmmebe, Nawakwi, Saboi etc or ECL and or HH inside Parliament as Oppsition. It would be a good thing for democracy but under the current system, it remains a pipe dream.
The first past the goal post is not real democracy and done away with in most advanced Countries. Let the President be nominated amongst MPs they find themselves inside Parliament after elections. In this way a President can be changed at any time especially if no party gets absolute majority as has happened in South Africa.
A President will therefore represent values and principles of the Coalition parties to deliver to the people and if fails, the Coalition can dissolve and establish a different setup with another President.
The constitution of Zambia is not the Bible or Quoram and it should constantly be aligned with Morden people requirements for a fuctional democracy where they have a say constantly and not only after 5 years.
Let’s amend the Zambian constitution to reflect so before the 2026 elections.
Miles Bwalya Sampa, MP
President of the Patriotic Front