The top court in Zambia has ruled that the country’s President, Edgar Lungu can run for a third term in 2021.
The court on Friday said Lungu’s decision to run in 2021 does not breach the constitution of Zambia.
The constitution already stipulates that a president can only serve two terms. Each term is for five years.
Lungu’s first period in office was for only one year and six months. He then took over when his boss president Michael Sata died.
President Lungu then stood for election in 2016 winning a full term. But the elections were disputed.
Critics of Lungu said since he served part of the term of the late Sata, he cannot run for office to serve for a third term as President.
But Lungu’s supporters say the constitution only considered someone serving a term if he stays in office for at least least three years of the full five-year term.
The president of the constitutional court Hildah Chibomba says the seven judges of the court were unanimous in their decision.
“Our answer is that the (Lungu’s first) presidential tenure of office…cannot be considered as a full term,” Chibomba said.
This year, a minister in Lungu’s cabinet Harry Kalaba resigned claiming the country is on a “path of insatiable greed and shame”.
He said there was a high level of corruption “perpetrated by those who are expected to be the solution”.
Source: Africafeeds.com
