Patriotic Front (PF) Mporokoso Member of Parliament Brian Mundubile and Tonse Alliance Youth Chairperson Celestine Mukandila have petitioned the Constitutional Court, seeking to have President Hakainde Hichilema disqualified from being nominated as a candidate in future presidential elections.
The petitioners accuse President Hichilema of allegedly breaching the Constitution in relation to the ongoing constitutional amendment process.
In their petition filed before the Constitutional Court, Mr. Mundubile and Mr. Mukandila argue that President Hichilema violated the Constitution by initiating a constitutional amendment process without broad public consultation, despite a prior Constitutional Court ruling declaring such actions unconstitutional.
They state that on May 23, 2025, President Hichilema and Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha published in the Zambia Gazette Bill No. 7 of 2025, which contained proposed constitutional amendments.
The petitioners contend that the process was undertaken “in the absence of public participation and wide consultation,” in contravention of Articles 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 61, 90, 91, and 92 of the Constitution.
They further allege that President Hichilema and Minister of Justice Princess Kasune have continued preparations to present the same constitutional amendment bill before Parliament, in what they describe as “complete defiance” of the Constitutional Court’s earlier judgment.
According to the petitioners, these actions amount to a violation of the Constitution, and by acting in contempt of the Constitutional Court’s ruling, President Hichilema has disqualified himself from holding or contesting the office of President.
Both President Hichilema and Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha, who is cited as the second respondent, are yet to file their responses.
Correction Notice:
Earlier, we published a story in which we erroneously referred to the Chief Justice Mumba Malila as the Attorney General.
This was a misrepresentation of facts.
We regret any inconvenience caused and sincerely apologize to His Lordship the Chief Justice.
By Mutinta Hamusankwa.
