Africa-Press – Zambia. CSOs CALL FOR TRANSPARENT, EXPEDITED ELECTORAL AND LEGISLATIVE REFORMS A CONSORTIUM of civil society organizations (CSOs) have expressed concern over the lack of progress in reviewing the national constitution and have called on the government to take immediate action.
In a joint statement released by Christian Churches Monitoring Group (CCMG) chaiperson Bishop Andrew Mwenda today, the CSOs emphasized the need for a clear roadmap and expedited process for reforming the Constitution and electoral laws
“We urge the government to provide a clear roadmap and expedite the process of reforming the Constitution and electoral laws related to conduct and management of elections,” Bishop Mwenda stated.
“The government should urgently engage all stakeholders in the development of a roadmap and build consensus on the reform approach.”
The CSOs highlighted the President’s previous pronouncements on constitutional and legislative reforms, particularly key electoral reforms. They expressed disappointment in the lack of engagement with stakeholders and the unclear responsibility for initiating reforms.
“We are disappointed with how the responsible institutions and Ministries are dealing with reforms. There has been little to no engagement with stakeholders to plan around constitutional and electoral reform,”Bishop Mwenda.
“In most cases, the Ministry of Justice has not been clear on which institution should initiate the reforms.”
While the CSOs acknowledged that the National Development Plan outlines the timeline for constitutional and electoral reforms in 2024 and 2025 respectively, they stressed the importance of engaging stakeholders now and allocating resources in the 2024 budget.
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