‘No referendum alongside election campaign’ launched

From Left to right: Dante Saunders, MacDonald Chipenzi and Gabriel Namulambe

Electoral Expert MacDonald Chipenzi has launched a no referendum alongside the general elections campaigns.

Mr. Chipenzi, who has partnered with former Mpongwe Member of Parliament Gabriel Namulambe and UPND Member Dante Saunders, is of the view that people know little about the Bill of Rights and thus the need to first educate them on the contents.

Briefing journalists in Lusaka today, Mr. Chipenzi says Zambia should not experiment over this important aspect of the constitution.

Mr. Chipenzi says there has been an absence of publicity and civic education amongst stakeholders saying people still do not know what is in the Bill of Rights and it will be suicidal to subject it to referendum to be held alongside the general elections.

He has clarified that the campaign is not aimed at rejecting the referendum but that he is opposed to holding it alongside the general elections.

Speaking at the same event, Mr. Namulambe says Zambians should support this campaign of suspending the referendum until when they are educated on the contents of the Bill of Rights.

And Mr. Saunders says the current constitution has so many mistakes because it was rushed and thus the need to suspend the referendum so that it can be done in a proper manner.