Maravi

NCC fails to meet majority vote over presidential running mate

NCC fails to meet majority vote over presidential running mate
Written by Allan Mulenga and Katwishi Bwalya
Thursday, January 29, 2009 9:42:24 AM

THE executive committee of the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) yesterday failed to meet a two-thirds majority vote on whether the vice-president should be elected as a running mate to a presidential candidate.

After a heated debate, committee chairperson Michael Mabenga deferred Article 144, clause 2 of the Draft Constitution which stipulates that the vice-president shall be elected as a running mate to a presidential candidate to the plenary session after members failed to reach consensus on the matter.

This prompted Mabenga to subject the matter to a vote, where 22 members voted for the retention of the clause, while 21 members voted otherwise, a move which compelled Mabenga, who is also Mulobezi MMD member of parliament, to rule that the matter would be decided by the plenary session because it was short of the required two-thirds majority vote.

During the debate, presidential affairs minister Gabriel Namulambe cautioned members not to adopt the Draft Constitution, saying a vice-president elected as a running mate would encourage intra-party conflicts.

“Let us bear in mind that in Africa there is witchcraft and the vice-president might bewitch the Republican president in order to take over the presidency,” he said.

Namulambe argued that adopting the clause would create unnecessary competition between the Republican president and the vice-president.

He was supported by Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe who feared that a vice-president elected as a running mate would be overzealous and execute functions in the absence of the Republican president.

“My fear is that we can have an overzealous vice-president, who I don’t want to name, who used to hold press conferences and was fired by the appointing authority,” said Munkombwe.

But Zambia Medical Association president Dr Swebby Macha argued that there was need to retain the clause, so as to provide stability and security in the nation.

He was supported by Chifunabuli member of parliament Ernest Mwansa who argued that there was no need for the members to fear that a vice-president elected as a running mate would take away powers from the Republican president.

And during sittings of the legislative committee, former Luena member of parliament Chrispine Sibetta on Tuesday threatened to walk out of the committee after most members absconded from the deliberations.

This was when the committee was debating whether members of the public should be allowed to debate proceedings of the national assembly.

Sibetta’s walking out would have meant the committee suspending it’s meetings for the day for failing to meet a quorum.

Nalumango then pleaded with Sibetta and asked him to calm down.

Less than 24 out of the 42 members of the committee attended the session.

Labels: COURTS, MICHAEL MABENGA, NCC

posted by MrK @ 9:42 AM