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Defecting MPs to Be Barred From Recontesting
The National Constitution Convention has introduced a new provision under article 75 to create a caveat against unnecessary by-elections.
The new provision has been effected so that a member of Parliament who resigns shall be barred from re-contesting the seat or being appointed to any public office until the end of the life span of that parliament from which the member has resigned.
And the convention has amended clause (2) of article 75 providing for a mixed member proportional representation which is a mix of First-past-the post and proportional representation with 20 percent seats assigned to proportional representation instead of the Proportional Representation (PR) as stated in the draft constitution.
The convention has also adopted the 50+1 vote clause which provides that a winning candidate in a presidential election should receive not less than fifty percent plus one vote of the valid votes cast.
In adopting the clause, the delegates noted that the new electoral system will enhance the legitimacy of the elected president and reduce regionalism and further promote interparty dialogue in the case of a re-run.
Meanwhile, amidst high levels of unemployment in Zambia, the ongoing National Constitution Convention has resolved to retain the labour relations article in the First Draft Constitution that provides rights of citizens to employment and to fair labour practices.
According to both Kasempa MMD Member of Parliament Kabinga Pande and his counterpart UPND’s Request Muntanga of Kalomo , the clause will empower unemployed citizens to sue government for not providing them with employment which they said should be avoided by amending the clause.
The two parliamentarians contended that Governments world over are facing the challenge of unemployment and therefore proposed that the clause be amended to specify the type of employment the clause was referring to.
Mr. Muntanga who earlier succeeded in having the recommendations for amendment for article 64 which read that, ‘a person has a right to work ‘deleted to maintain what is provided in the draft explained that even clause (1) of article 65 has a similar meaning.
His proposal to have the article amended was only supported by his fellow MP Kainga Pande while the rest voted for the retention of the article.
Posted by Editor
on April 16, 2013. Filed under LATEST NEWS.
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xxx
April 16, 2013 at 1:43 pm
GOOD MOVE!!!! Let them defect now from 2016 no more!!
CK
April 16, 2013 at 3:08 pm
Tax payers money will be saved good move.
good old days
April 16, 2013 at 3:34 pm
lelo lelo. Bravo
assegai
April 16, 2013 at 5:27 pm
better for them(political parties) worse 4 us( civilians).no development.only the shrewd may see this.it entails that the party which shall hav more mps wll be in power 4 years. When they break off, usually educate the public wth some party secretes. U oposition parties ar shallow minded to surport this.in the nutshell, it is extreamely good 4 pf.ukusapula mumutwe!
Dbry
April 16, 2013 at 5:28 pm
Finally some sense
Chi-Chi
April 16, 2013 at 7:08 pm
It’s even long over-due,no more cross overs,lets use tax payers for other developmental issues,keep it up National Convention
kakolwe
April 17, 2013 at 5:12 am
Now we will term the defecting mps as “Defacated MPs”
FP
April 18, 2013 at 9:39 am
This makes sense only if this draft constitution is backed by a legal framework. I am sure one Micheal will save Zambia. Those koswe MPs are doomed. Utufumo!