ARTICLE 106 sub-section 3 in the Constitution is a red line which stops anyone serving more than 10 years as President, says Luxon Kazabu.
Kazabu, a former livestock and fisheries deputy minister, said he agrees with Jack Kalala that there is nothing special about President Edgar Lungu for him to be left to disregard the Constitution.
Kalala, a former special assistant for policy and project implementation in the Levy Mwanawasa administration, challenged interest groups to stand against President Lungu’s push for a third term of office.
Adding his voice to the matter, Kazabu said the drafters of the Constitution followed Zambians’ wish that no one should serve more than 10 years as Head of State.
“I want to agree with Jack Kalala over the eligibility of President Edgar Lungu. People must understand where the drafters of the Constitution were coming from when they put Article 106 sub-section 3 which talks of holding office. They wanted to stop anyone from serving more than 10 years,” he said. “So Article 106 sub-section 3 is a limiting provision. In other ways it is the red line for anyone who wants to serve as President and later comes to the red line. He or she is not allowed to cross that line. That was the idea of the drafters of the Constitution.”
Kazabu noted that as things are presently, President Lungu who is pushing to contest the August Presidential election would have served more than 10 years should he win.
“But there is no provision in the Constitution allowing one to serve more than 10 years. It is as simple as that – that is the red line and no one should be allowed to cross it,” said Kazabu.