By NOEL IYOMBWA
The final judgement of whether former kwacha and Kabushi members of parliament are eligible to stand is a historical watershed judgement, former minister in MMD government George Mpombo has said.
Commenting on the constitutional court ruling, Dr Mpombo said the outcome is a victory for justice and rule of law and equity, and also a vindication of no – holds- barred legal opinion of the LAZ.
He said the new LAZ executive is a blast of fresh air and a shining light on a hill, promising to be an uncompromising bedrock of constitutional adherence and promotion.
He said Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) must learn a lesson as the ruling has seriously cracked its independence and integrity, adding that the mishandling of the issues has left a trail of professional debris in its wake.
“ECZ must learn a lesson or two, the judgement has seriously cracked its independence and integrity,” he said.
The Constitutional Court ruled that both former Kabushi Member of Parliament Bowman Lusambo and the former Kwacha Member of Parliament Joseph Malanji are eligible to recontest their former seats.
In passing judgment on a matter in which Mr Lusambo and Mr Malanji challenged the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) decision to reject their nomination on the basis that they are not eligible to recontest their seats for having caused a vacancy in the National Assembly, Judge Palan Mulonda who presented the majority decision cited that the Constitutional Court ruled that the nullification of the duo’s elections did not amount to disqualification as Article 72 (2) distinguishes the difference between nullification and disqualification which cannot be used interchangeably.
