Parliament reconvenes on June 13

Fri, 19 May 2017 10:12:44 +0000

By MUKOSELA KASALWE and OSCAR MALIPENGA

 THE First Session of the 12th National Assembly which adjourned sine die on March 28, 2017, will resume on June 13, 2017, Clerk of the National Assembly Cecelia Mbewe has announced.

Ms Mbewe said the session would resume on June 13, 2017, at 14:30 hours.

She said all Members of Parliament were required to be in Lusaka on the stipulated date in readiness for business of the House. “The First Session of the Twelfth National Assembly, which adjourned sine die on March 28, 2017 will resume on June 13, 2017at 14:30 hours.

“All Members of Parliament are required to be in Lusaka by that date,” Ms Mbewe said.

One of the highlights of the session will be Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Patrick Matibini, who is expected to render a ruling on the 54 UPND MPs who boycotted Parliament during President Edgar Lungu’s State of the Nation address in March.

During President Lungu’s address to Parliament on March 17, 2017, all of the UPND MPs except one for Chilanga, Keith Mukata, stayed away from the event.

This was the second time that UPND MPs staged a boycott of President Lungu’s appearance in the House, saying they would continue doing so until the Constitutional Court hears thir presidential petition.

Dr. Matibini will also rule on UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema who allegedly referred to him (Speaker) as a cadre not fit to preside over the affairs of Parliament.

He had reserved a ruling following a point of order raised by Patriotic Front (PF) Mwansabombwe MP Rodger Mwewa who wanted to know whether Mr. Hichilema was in order to have referred to the Speaker in such derogatory terms.