‘ECZ mandated to conduct delimitation’
THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) is this year mandated to carry out delimitation exercise in accordance with the Constitution of Zambia, Vice President Inonge Wina has said.
But Ms Wina said this exercise can only be done if a corporate board was formed by Members of Parliament to oversee the exercise.
The Vice President said this was stipulated in the 2016 amended Constitution of Zambia.
“Mr Speaker ECZ indeed is mandated to carry out delimitations of constituencies, wards and polling stations if possible every 10 years and this year it was time for ECZ to undertake the exercise.
“There is a constitutional provision that states a number of MPs that should form the corporate board of this chamber and unless that is changed it is not possible to change the current scenario,” she said.
The Vice-President was responding to Chavuma MP, Victor Lumayi, who wanted to know whether the ECZ would carry out the delimitation exercise as stipulated in article 58 of the constitution.
Article 58 stipulates that the ECZ shall determine the names and boundaries of constituencies and wards and shall, at intervals of not more than 10 years, review the names and boundaries of
constituencies and wards.
It further states that the details of the boundaries of constituencies and wards shall be published in the Gazette and shall come into effect on the next dissolution of Parliament or councils.
According to the article, a person may apply to the Constitutional Court for review of a decision of the ECZ.
Meanwhile, Ms Wina said the Patriotic Front (PF) would not in any way infringe the rights of MPs on freedom of expression.
She was responding to Chikankata MP, Kabwe Mwiinga, on whether the PF was not mocking the three MPs who exercised their rights for not voting for bill 10.
But the Vice President started the party did not any way mock its members, therefore, the Secretary General Davies Mwila merely wanted to know why the three members did not vote for bill 10.
“Mr Speaker, the Secretary General is not part of this house, he was acting outside Parliament and he does not perhaps even know the voting patterns in the house because he wanted to know what transpired and why the three MPs do show on list of members that voted for bill 10.
“This matter is still under investigations as to how perhaps the machines did not do a good a job in capturing the members who were here and do not seem to have voted. So there still discrepancies on the MPs that have been cited.