Chief Government Spokesperson, Cornelius Mweetwa, has insisted that Constitution Amendment Bill No. 7 is lawfully before Parliament, accusing some stakeholders—including the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ)—of deliberately misleading the public about its legality.

Speaking during a media briefing in Lusaka on Friday, Mweetwa expressed disappointment with stakeholders who declined to make submissions before the parliamentary committee scrutinising the bill.

“I would like to dismiss the assertions by opposition political parties and LAZ suggesting that Constitution Amendment Bill No. 7 is illegal. Such statements are willfully and deliberately misleading the nation,” he said.

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Mweetwa emphasised that continued claims that the bill was nullified by the Constitutional Court in the Munia Zulu and Celestine Mukandila vs Attorney General judgment were “false, misleading, and contrary to the actual contents of the ruling.”

He argued that the government would not have proceeded with Bill No. 7 had it been declared unconstitutional by the Court.

The Chief Government Spokesperson said he was “shocked” that LAZ—an institution expected to provide authoritative legal guidance—submitted to the Parliamentary Select Committee that the Court had nullified the bill.

He further accused LAZ of failing to consult its wider membership before presenting its position, describing the association’s stance as “political gymnastics.”

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