Africa-Press – Zambia. says no parliamentary official, including the Speaker, held the authority to override a judgment from the Constitutional Court
Lusaka… Thursday July 10, 2025 – Prominent political activist and Socialist Party member Thompson Luzendi has accused the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nelly Mutti, of defying a binding ruling by the Constitutional Court, describing her recent remarks as a dangerous threat to Zambia’s constitutional order.
In a statement issued following Speaker Mutti’s ruling on July 9th, Luzendi stated that the Speaker had disregarded a Constitutional Court judgment issued on June 27th, which had ordered the withdrawal of Bill 7 on the grounds that it lacked the constitutionally required level of public consultation under Article 79.
According to Luzendi, Speaker Mutti asserted during her ruling that the courts could not stop Bill 7 because it was “already in Parliament” and further argued that the judiciary lacked jurisdiction over the internal proceedings of the National Assembly.
He alleged that her position constituted not just a procedural disagreement, but a direct challenge to the authority of the Constitutional Court and an erosion of the separation of powers.
Mr. Luzendi warned that the Speaker’s stance risked precipitating a full-blown constitutional crisis, stating that no parliamentary official, including the Speaker, held the authority to override a judgment from the Constitutional Court, which is the apex interpreter of the Constitution.
He further alleged that Speaker Mutti’s remarks reflected a broader disregard for the supremacy of the Constitution and set a dangerous precedent that could permit other public officials to ignore court rulings.
“This is not about law or democracy anymore,” Mr. Luzendi stated. “It is a calculated power grab.”
Calling her ruling “a chilling signal,” Luzendi expressed concern that Parliament was being transformed into a “rubber stamp for authoritarian excess,” and urged the Speaker to retract what he termed a “reckless statement.”
He insisted that no further action on Bill 7 should proceed unless it was brought into full compliance with constitutional procedures.
Zambia, Luzendi said, was now at a crossroads—between upholding constitutional democracy or sliding into authoritarianism.
He called on Speaker Mutti and the National Assembly to honour the court’s decision and reaffirm their commitment to constitutional supremacy.
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