50+ one system of electing a republican President unanimously adopted

Delegates to the sector group convention have unanimously adopted the 50+ one system of electing a republican President.

The group has recommended that Article 99 (7) which states that a presidential candidate who has qualified for the second ballot dies or is disqualified for any reason under the Constitution should be amended so that the next candidate can assume the place of the first candidate.

During the sector group convention at Lusaka’s Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC) yesterday, the delegates also proposed for the mixed proportional representative system for electing Members of Parliament (MPs).

Earlier, the delegates were reminded that Zambians are looking up to them to provide the best technical expertise that will help produce the constitution that will stand the test of time.

Chairperson for the Technical Committee on Drafting the Zambia Constitution Annel Silungwe said this to the delegates during the official opening of the three-day sector groups convention at Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC) in Lusaka yesterday.

Justice Silungwe told the participants comprising professionals and experts from various Governmental and Non-Governmental institutions that they should set a firm foundation that the subsequent generations would be able to build upon.

“I would like to underscore the fact that, as the majority of Zambians out there do not have the privilege of participating in this important process, they and we in the technical committee look up to you to provide the best technical expertise,” Justice Silungwe said.

He said this would only be achieved if all the delegates would be selfless and generously use their talent, skills and experiences to shape an admirable new Constitution for Zambia.

He said the sector groups’ convention was convened to assist the technical committee to technically improve on the content of the first draft Constitution.

He urged the participants to be broad minded, objective and above all put national interest first.

The recommendations of the convention together with submissions of local and international experts in constitutional law and practice as well as resolutions of the national convention would be used as the basis for producing the final Constitution.

He commended the people that had been given the opportunity to participate in the Constitution consultative process so far for doing so with great sense of patriotism.

He maintained that the final draft would be ready by June 30, 2013 and would be presented to the President and subsequently to the general public.

“During the period September 2012 and February 2013 the technical committee reached out to stakeholders and other interested parties at district and provincial levels by holding district consultative foras in 82 districts and conventions in all 10 provinces,” he said.