Hichilema denies he’s plotting tenure extension through Constitution Amendment Bill No. 7

President Hakainde Hichilema has dismissed claims that the draft Constitution Amendment Bill No. 7 seeks to remove the 50-plus-one electoral threshold or extend the presidential tenure.

Instead, President Hichilema said the proposed changes were aimed at addressing key governance challenges, including the equitable distribution of national resources through the creation of more constituencies.

He made the remarks during a meeting with leaders of the three church mother bodies—the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB), the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ), and the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ)—held at State House on Tuesday.

The President emphasized that the amendments were not intended to sow division among Zambia’s 73 ethnic groups but rather to strengthen democratic representation and improve national governance.

“The amendments also seek to reduce wastage by avoiding unnecessary by-elections and enhance representation in the National Assembly by including more women and youth,” President Hichilema stated.

He added that the proposed reforms also aimed to ensure the presence of an Attorney General during electoral transitions, providing legal continuity and oversight.

President Hichilema further highlighted that the planned constituency delimitation exercise was a constitutional requirement, mandated to occur every ten years.

“Government is open to suggestions on how best the process can be undertaken. Failure to carry out delimitation would amount to a breach of the Constitution,” he assured.

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Speaking on behalf of the Church mother bodies, EFZ Executive Director, Bishop Andrew Mwenda, clarified that the Church was not opposed to constitutional amendments in principle.

Mwenda, however, expressed concern over the limited inclusiveness of the current process, stressing the need for broader stakeholder engagement.

“Our concerns are not about establishing a commission, but about ensuring a consultative process that protects the integrity of the content,” he said.

He added that the Church mother bodies were in fact looking forward to constitutional amendments but urged government to widen the consultation process to foster ownership and legitimacy.

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