President Edgar Lungu’s tenure as Zambia’s president is being threatened as the main opposition party on Thursday filed a motion seeking his impeachment over constitutional breaches.
A third of the members of parliament in the 166-member house has so far signed the motion by the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND). But the motion would require signatures from two-thirds of the lawmakers to succeed.
According to the impeachment notice cited by Reuters, President Lungu abrogated the constitution by not handing over power to the speaker of the national assembly when his victory was challenged by the opposition in court in 2016.
But presidential spokesperson Amos Chanda believes the move is “just a continuation of the UPND’s failed court challenge of President Edgar Lungu’s election victory.”
“It is not going anywhere.
“The UPND knows that the charges are defective and the motion cannot succeed but still brought it because they are not interested in the political dialogue,” he told Reuters.
The motion which would be debated on March 28 is expected to be moved by UPND parliamentary Chief Whip Garry Nkombo and seconded by the ruling Patriotic Front’s Chishimba Kambwili. Kambwili was however arrested on Thursday by the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission and charged with 37 counts of being in possession of money alleged to be proceeds of crime.
