Zambian ConCourt orders Lungu to dissolve cabinet immediately

File photo: Although Lungu dissolved parliament in June, he refused to dissolve his cabinet.

File photo: Although Lungu dissolved parliament in June, he refused to dissolve his cabinet.

Published Aug 9, 2016

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Gaborone – The Constitutional Court of Zambia has ordered President Edgar Lungu to instruct all ministers and their deputies to vacate their posts immediately and repay all salaries and allowances they have earned since June 2016 when their legal office mandates expired.

According to the Zambian Constitution, the official tenures of members of parliament, cabinet ministers and their appointed deputies legally end three months before the election set for August 11, 2016 of a successor parliament, from which the members of a new cabinet are then selected.

Although Lungu dissolved parliament in June, he refused to dissolve his cabinet, prompting the Law Society of Zambia (LSZ) to apply to the Constitutional Court to seek an order to compel the President to uphold the constitution.

The lawyers also asked the court to compel the ministers to repay the salaries and allowances they earned during their illegally extended three-month tenure in office.

On Monday, the Constitutional Court ruled that Lungu had violated the law by maintaining the ministers in

office after the dissolution of parliament in June.

In a statement, the main opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) said it was gratifying to note that the court had ended what amounted to a daylight robbery of the people by the Patriotic Front (PF) government.

The UPND called on Lungu to ensure that the ministers paid back the money they had earned unlawfully as early as possible.

African News Agency (ANA)

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