The death of President Michael Sata has generated many questions from our readers. One of the questions we are being asked is this. Is it possible for the presidential by-election to be combined with the referendum on the draft constitution?
The simple answer is yes. There is nothing, in theory, that is stops the PF government from combining both events. However, the status of the draft constitution is that it is merely a draft document. Parliament has not sat to debate it nor have the public properly considered it. PF released the document under duress and offered no roadmap. Just when people started reading it President Michael Sata died.
To have a proper referendum there would need to be sufficient time for the various groups on either side of the debate (the Yes and No camps) to be properly funded and allow them to campaign. There us also need for parliament to review and edit parts of it. The document is quite flawed in many parts. The process cannot be rushed!
One way to combine both events without rushing is to delay the presidential by-election to April 2015. This depends on there being broad consensus in the country. The people should be able to accept that proposal if it was properly explained.
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