Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
The Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) has charged that the presidential pardon of Steven Masumba and George Mpombo by acting President Guy Scott leaves much to be desired and raises more questions instead of answers on pardon.
FODEP Executive Director MacDonald Chipenzi in a media statement issued today has described the presidential pardon of the two political figures as an obvious partisan undertaking.
Mr Chipenzi says FODEP strongly feels that a more transparent mechanism of discharging such presidential Prerogative of Mercy should be devised and be done in strict adherence to the provision of Article 60 of the current Zambian Constitution. 
Mr Chipenzi says the recent development and circumstances leading to the release of the two political figures has not only exposed the weakness in the law in terms of promoting transparency and accountability in such matters, especially enforcing Articles 59 and 60 of the current Republican Constitution but also that the two articles can easily be abused for partisan purpose in times of political and electoral panic by ruling elites.
He says the action by Dr. Scott already has demonstrated that the recent release of Dr. Mpombo who has some political influence in Ndola Rural and Mr Masumba for use in North-Western Province, were before their conviction, strong sympathizers of the ruling party and now full time ruling party’s candidate endorsers barely 24 hrs after being liberated from prison, signals the motive behind their release.
Mr Chipenzi notes that if the prerogative of mercy was exercised in a non-partisan, Moses Muteteka, Chisamba MMD MP who faces almost similar predicament, would also have been pardoned but seems to have missed the mercy giver for belonging to a wrong political persuasion.
He adds that if the criterion used to pardon the two political party figures was based on their contribution to national service, Mr Muteteka deserves the same measure of consideration of pardon as he has served the country in several capacities longer than some of the freed persons.
Mr Chipenzi sys it is for this reason that FODEP is consistently calling for the enactment of a new Constitution to address the discriminatory exercise of executive powers on citizens.