Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
International Institute of Democracy and Conflict Resolution (IIDCR) says the call by the Grand Coalition on the people driven constitution for the adoption of the new constitution through a national referendum is unattainable.
In a letter dated 17th February to the Grand Coalition Spokesperson and copied to President Edgar Lungu among others, IIDCR President Tresford Chomba says considering that Article 79 of the current constitution requires 50% of all eligible voters to participate in a referendum, experience in the past elections from 2001 to 2015 has shown that the country has not been able to record 50% voter turn.
Mr Chomba says this simply means that the referendum will be merely an academic exercise aimed at decampaigning the Patriotic Front.
He says attaining the 50% eligible voters voting in a referendum is wishful thinking and unattainable and the exercise is bound to fail.
Mr Chomba states that Zambians want a constitution and not the referendum, let alone the mode of adoption.
He says President Lungu has demonstrated commitment before he was elected President by releasing the draft constitution and subsequently the roadmap which Zambians were crying for.
Mr Chomba says his organisation will embark on an aggressive parallel countrywide sensitization to that of the Grand Coalition to inform the nation on the impossibility of the referendum.
He has further advised the PF government not to entertain the Grand Coalition position of adopting the constitution through the referendum, considering that they have a few months remaining to deliver development to the Zambian people.