Zambian lawmakers were on Tuesday scheduled to debate an opposition motion aimed at impeaching President Levy Mwanawasa for allegedly violating the constitution.
The motion, supported by several deputies in parliament including members of the ruling party, is likely to cause acrimony and bring Mwanawasa’s integrity in question, a lawmaker said.
”We are confident that this motion will pull through because we have support from all parties in the House,” said Sakwiba Sikota, one of the lawmakers pushing for the impeachment.
Zambia’s embattled Vice President Nevers Mumba announced last week that the motion aimed at removing Mwanawasa from office would be tabled on Tuesday afternoon for debate.
”I don’t think the opposition or those supporting the motion will have the required number to successfully impeach the president,” said Sipula Kabange, a lawmaker from the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD).
For the impeachment process to succeed, two-thirds of the 150 deputies need to vote in favour of it.
Currently, the ruling party enjoys a slim majority over the opposition and a number of opposition lawmakers have accepted ministerial jobs in Mwanawasa’s government, thereby reducing their strength.
”But we expect a lot of support from the MMD bench,” said Sikota.
Three ex-ministers and MMD lawmakers signed the opposition impeachment motion.
However, former foreign minister Katele Kalumba announced on Sunday that he would back Mwanawasa in parliament after he was reconciled with the president after his release from jail where he spent eight months on suspicion of theft.
The impeachment motion will be the first of its kind to be debated in the Zambian parliament.
In 2001, lawmakers tried to impeach then president Frederick Chiluba but the speaker of parliament blocked the motion from being tabled. – Sapa-AFP