Thursday, December 26, 2024

Supreme court nullifies another parliamentary seat

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Members of Parliament

The Supreme Court has nullified MMD’s Mkushi South parliamentary seat which was held by Sydney Chisanga.
Delivering judgement this morning, Supreme Court Judge Elizabeth Muyovwe overturned the high court judgement which had declared Mr.Chisanga as a duly elected member of parliament for Mkushi South.

Judge Muyovwe said the High Court had erred in its judgement because Mr.Chisanga clearly breached the electoral law by donating money to Women’s clubs during campaigns in the 2011 general elections.

The parliamentary seat was petitioned by losing PF candidate in the 2011 general elections Davis Chisupa.
And speaking to Journalists shortly after the judgement, Mr.Chisanga said he will recontest the seat.

65 COMMENTS

  1. Just nullify the whole 2011 elections.This isn’t making sense.PF also intimated people with violence and empty promises doesn’t that count as corruption?

    • There are donating money to Chipata women, campaigning illegally.
      Can supreme court nullify the 2011 elections.

      RB did well to accept defeat.

    • This is actually wonderful news because from this day forth Zambians will wake up and demand change of archaic laws that are meant to advantage the oppressors.The supreme court has become a liability.Full of women of questionable intelligence.

    • awee me am tired now mwee. just nullify the 2011 general elections mwe mbwa mwee. am PF but am also tired of this booo sheeet

    • this is a lesson to the current government that they should not abuse resources during elections other wise the next government will also nullify most of the PF seats

    • I better keep quiet or else I can utter insults that has never been heard before. But I can only say that the pf govt is a s.h.i.t govt.

    • Ok this is too much ba pf misusing nationl resources i hope these guyz will die when the new gvt takes over the law will deal with them.I regret voting for PF in 2011.

    • what is happening o Lord our God? what have we done as a nation to deserve all this. meanwhile they are busy borrowing to fund these bye elections. we are in for it. yet still majority of zambians can’t see it and they keep saying: ba tata ba sata blablablabla. we are in for it. you r yet to see.

    • Of course it can’t make sense to children of mediocracy. Anything got thru corruption must be taken back to the people. For ages I have waited for such laws in Zambia the have teeth. I am very happy it is happening in my life time which I never thought. People must work for whatever they claim to be theirs.

    • Sata’s announcement for constitutional amendment only instead of adopting a new constitution is real. Reliable evidence, he is geared for a 2 terms of 10 years in office. To achieve this, he is repositioning himself through parliament by removing all formidable vocal MPs for easy of that scheme implementation.Watch this space!
      Zambians we must make neither mistake nor doubt!! The scheming in the judiciary is by design, stand up to Sata and his PF, there too many around the global who embrace Madiba’s legacy of constitutional reforms, that are ready to join your struggle and ride this endemic poverty and growing inequality through a people-driven constitution.

    • Though Sata claims solidarity of Zambian patriotism, his intolerance to dissent from his own people demonstrates how undemocratic his ideals reign. This is not time, for too many of us who stand on the sidelines, comfortable in complacency or cynicism to continue in such mediocrity when our voices must be heard. Time has come to awaken that Zambian WILL POWER that shattered FTJ’s 3rd term with Sata at the helm. Let all our noble men and women who cherish true Justice whichever corner of Zambia you are to start a revolution strategy to counter this selfish constitutional mutilation. The Zambian WILL POWER that overcame FTJ’s 3rd term must once again rise to overcome this cloud hovering around us. We say no! to Sata’s constitution amendment schemes we demand a complete new constitution.

    • Ideas and talking alone are not enough, the power of ACTION is now more inevitable thank ever before. No one can give us a better Zambia and a better Constitution that we desire, unless we ARISE and ACT. We call upon all Zambian to arise and demand a new constitution. Abash 2 terms of 10 years, Abash Sata’s constitution amendments!! The continuous stay of Lombe chibesakunda and the removal of formidable and vocal MPs –Is now clear, the writings are clear on the wall!!

    • In May this year, Kabimba donated K25,000 to UCZ in Luangwa just before by elections. He did this with the Luangwa candidate. Can the seat be nulified too? Or better still, nulify the 2011 elections and lets hold fresh elections. Lets see where PF goes from there…,.

    • Do the same, especially for presidential elections considering that we saw chitenge material being given during this period by all parties involved and corruption was practiced through telling lies to electorates of heavenly changes in 90 days.

  2. LETS GO FOR GENERAL ELECTIONS MWEBANTU. 2016 PALEPA. SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS GOVT. NAMULAMBE IS FOUND WANTING, BUT PROTECTED. SHAME.

    • In the meantime the State continues to flout the same law by intensifying so-called development projects in constituencies where there are bye-elections!!!!!!!

      What is that, you lawyers?? I have no problem with the judgements but what about the State continuing to use taxpayers’ money to appease the electorate in constituencies where elections are due????? Come on, JUSTICE where are you??? We need you in Zambia urgently please!!! Help!!! Help before drown in injustice!!

    • I concur.Our democracy is relatively new and most candidates naive.The onus is on those who choose to become MPs to first educate themselves about what constitutes electoral malpractice.I foresee high quality representatives and law-makers in parliament after 2016 elections.
      Ladies and Gentlemen,democracy and freedom is not cheap,but it makes people begin to think much harder.

  3. I think Zambian need to stand up to this stupidity and wasting of limited resources. We might as well hold general elections.

  4. What a joke!! Are these people really serious? How can you put nullification of MP seats your top priority. This government has spent the whole of 2 years doing just that and has gobbled billion of kwacha, money that would have gone to meaningful development. This is lunacy, and these gentlemen and ladies call themselves learned people of the judiciary!! UNZA graduates I supposed?? Wonder why the institution is ranked 66 in Africa??

    • What has UNZA got to do with the Nullification of elections? HH and Chipimo are UNZA graduates and they are potential Republican Presidents. Are you saying that based on UNZA ranking, we should not vote for any one of them in 2016? I never went to UNZA but i respect UNZA graduates. Learn to do so. I hear degrees at UNZA are not given but one needs to study very hard!

  5. Liato has been acquitted by the same courts and given back his loot. so why crying foul. MMD was warned but they never wanted to listen. remember the messages on our cell phones by the MMD

  6. I like this law which only nullifies opposition seats. Has it succeeded the law we’ve always known which is clothed in fairness, consistence, predictability, among others? Is lady justice still blind, blind to the faces of the litigants? Let’s see how the Vubwi illegality pans out – stark malpractice. May be, boma ni boma and justice belongs to the ruling elite. So help us God.

    Bwesheni vote yandi ba kapalala. I think we voted with water in our skulls. Twalisamwa, and now it’s pay back time. Agony is: we are stuck with this nonsense for the long haul. 2016, babwela futi. Amama neo!

    • No my friend your reasonong is misplaced. The courts can only nullify what is brought before them. Can you mention one election result won by a PF candidate and was upheld or nullified by the same courts. I think its almost non because the opposition did not petition any. In as much as i dont support these elections because they are a drain to national resources, it also important critisise with reason.

  7. We just need to start again…clean slate as they the say. ..because in Zambia if one went through each and every election with a fine tooth comb; they would all be nullified.

  8. I THINK THIS IS GOOD FOR OUR DEMOCRACY. CORRUPTION SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED. THE SAME STANDARD SHOULD BE APPLIED AGAINST THE PF IF THEY WILL DO THE SAME. I HOPE THAY ARE LEARNING THE LESSONS.

  9. ECZ needs to do more by investing in educating the candidates and respective parties as these selfsame judgements are costing us the taxpayers.

  10. GOOD!
    Madam you are working according to expectations! All those that won elections via corrupt campaigns must have their seats nullified so that in 2016 we can have cleaner campaigns. You can run but you can’t hide. If you run a dirty campaign you risk being stripped of your win, especially if a different party gets into power. Those that are condeming now will only thank our judicial system and HEMCS when it is 2016 and you find out how clean the campaigns will be. HEMCS has been good for Zambia. He is not perfect as a human being, but he is far better than RB and chiluba put together!

    • @mwembeshi. Well said! It’s amazing how some people glorify corruption and electoral malpractice. As a nation we need to strive for a level electoral playing field. Let the best candidates represent people who actually voted them to Parliament because they genuinely believe that they will make a difference and not because they were received a donation.

    • Countrymen, God rules the affairs of men. There is a reason we got Chiluba; he gave us free market economy. Then came Mwanawasa, SC; he gave us the rule of law. RB held forte whilst the nation reorganised for 2011. And now comes, MC Sata. And a Bemba. Who would have thought ‘natola fye’ would have championed the fight against corruption. God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform. Zed will never be the same for the measure the populace will hold politicians to account has been raised and brought in the open. Well done God for Zambia. Thank you.

  11. In western countries the only one allowed to use government vehicles is either the president or prime minister at by-elections everyone else use their own. In Zambia go to these places were there are by elections; its GRZ plates everywhere when the ruling party is in town campaigning.

  12. I wonder what the Supreme court is trying to preserve between national interest and party(PF) interests. You can not nullify results because Mulusa Spent K1,000 to corrupt voters but ask the national Treasury to spend K7,000,000.00 on by-elections just because PF have to increase numbers in parliament. Something must be done urgently. Tufililefye munsenga! there’s nothing to preserve in this country.

  13. The hypocrites of the roman catholic church,if it was a non catholic president,the church would have been their main sermons on by election.the churches should stand up against this trend.why only opposition seats are being nullified?in the coming years pf will pay heavily for this political fixing.the culprits are sata.kabimba.membe.nchito,chibesakunda.Scott.professor mkandu luo.

  14. This is very good! This is setting up a foundation for clean campaigns. I do not think any aspiring candidate will engage in election malpractices anymore. Weldone PF for setting up this pace of cleaning elections. We cannot allow poor people being taken advantage of by giving them a few pieces of silver, utu tenge, utu jinga na Chibuku.

  15. Now the law is working in Zambia. This is good for our democracy here in Zambia because in 2016 only people who understand what corruption and electoral code of conduct constitute will stand. Hey you the UPND and MMD, have you petitioned the Livingstone by- election in which Guy Scoty donated money during his rally?
    Be pro-active guys dont just complain …..you must also petition so that the Livingstone seat is nullified …

    Peace and Prosperity to Mother Zambia.

  16. We should not forget that Kabimba donated K20,000 in chipata and MCS has already given K70,000 in Vubwi. Lets not forget, lets keep records and also appeal when these guys win.

  17. In Livingstone Guy Scot was dishing out money in public and in Kapiri the PF were caught red handed distributing money to the electorate and yet the seats have not been nullified! Where is “precedence” in our legal system if the supreme court keeps overruling the lower courts? Are our high court judges incompetent?

    • But have you petitioned those elections? You think the court of law will just nullify the elections without you petitioning them? Ba guy naimwe muletusebanya …yaba.

      Peace and Prosperity to mother Zambia.

  18. Judicial system has become compromised and has potential to cause havoc in the country or maybe there is no enough education about electoral laws of Zambia, but again why only nullifying opposition seats?

  19. They are many important issues our government should be addressing today like escalating mealie meal prices. The need for us to get a new constitution, high unemployment levels, poor sanitation, bad roads, access to clean drinking water and the list is endless. The billions we have spent on the by elections could have been used to build a hospital in remote places where people are giving birth in side walks. Its more of a moral issue than a political issue. Abash mediocre Judiciary! Abash biased Justice system. Come 2016 Zambians will not be cheated again

  20. Solomon our bible character says and I qoute “icipumbu nangu baka citwa mwibende nga cabuka cikabuuka no Bumpumbu bwaciko.” not even the so called state machinery/systems can change this Govt you voted into power.I HAVE GOT A DREAM that this Lunatic Govt will change the Country’s from Zambia to ……….. ……… Hence the bye elections. Mark my words.

  21. We might as well nullify the whole of zambian republic since we chose to elect these lame and retarded leaders who only lead us into oblivion.Zambia is in reverse gear with these PF losers in charge.

  22. Plse opposition take to court also the other seats like the one for Kapiri where cash was exchanging hands, let us then measure how fast the courts will rule on that seat and in which direction they will do. So far we are seeing ruling all against the opposition especially at some level of the justice system.

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