Opposition slams Zambian leader's remarks on judiciary

By O’Brien Mwiinga

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - The Zambian opposition on Friday accused President Edgar Lungu of not only trying to intimidate the judiciary but also of undermining the country’s constitution.

Addressing his supporters Thursday in Solwezi, the provincial capital of the North Western province, Lungu warned that should the Constitutional Court judges emulate the Kenyan court and prevent him from contesting the 2021 election "chaos will rain in Zambia".

“I don’t think this is what our judges want,” Lungu stated.
But the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) on Friday condemned Lungu for threatening the judiciary and demanded that he retract the statement.
“The statement against judges is contemptuous. We demand that Lungu retract it immediately if confidence in the judiciary is to be restored,” Hakainde Hichilema told a news conference in Lusaka on Friday.
He said the statement was designed to threaten the judiciary against making an adverse ruling against him in the impending judgment on whether the president is eligible to run in the 2021 election.

His political opponents argue that he has served the two terms allowed by the country's constitution and cannot run for a third.

The Constitutional Court will hear the case on Nov. 15.