Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Vice President Guy Scott has maintained that former President Rupiah Banda cannot be re-elected President even on the basis of him promising to enact a new constitution.
Mr. Banda, who is Zambia’s fourth and immediate past President, has been quoted by the French news agency AFP as saying that enacting a new constitution would be his top priority if he makes a return to politics.
But Dr. Scott has told QFM in a telephone interview that Mr. Banda can do whatever he wants if he is re-elected President, but that the question is how he is going to be re-elected and on which political party he will contest.
Dr. Scott has wondered how Mr. Banda can think of staging a political comeback when he lost heavily in the 2011 general elections despite being incumbent and with all the resources he had at his disposal which he does not have now.
He adds that Mr. Banda can say whatever he wants on the constitution except the trouble is that anyone who wants to give the people of Zambia a new constitution will need consensus from the opposition political parties and government itself.
The Vice president notes that this is in addition to persuading the people of Zambia that they need a new constitution with the inclusion of particular provisions.
He says it is on this basis that he also maintains that Mr. Banda does not pose a threat to the ruling Patriotic Front’s re-election in the 2016 general elections.
Dr. Scott says he would be very surprised if Mr. Banda made a political return.