Milupi counsels against maneuvers to defer 2016 polls

Opposition Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) President Charles Milupi says maneuvers to defer the 2016 general election to 2022 are a complete waste of the Judiciary’s time.

Mr. Milupi adds that such maneuvers amount to abuse of the judicial process because they are totally unattainable.

He has told Qfm News by telephone that this is because the country’s constitution in Article 34 clearly states that Parliament can only serve a mandate of five years after which it must be dissolved.

Mr. Milupi says this means that the current mandate of Parliament ends in 2016 when it will be dissolved and elections called.

He states that this also implies that much as those seeking to have elections postponed want to rely on Article 35 of the constitution, they must also refer to Article 34 which lays out how a President is supposed to be elected.

The ADD leader notes that Article 38 is also very clear when it says whenever Parliament is dissolved there must be Presidential elections.

Mr Milupi points out that there is already a precedent set for the country when former president Rupiah Banda dissolved Parliament and called for general elections after serving for only three years.

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