GUY SCOTT MAY BE ELIGIBLE TO STAND AS REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT Section 38 of the Zambian Constitution says the vice president becomes acting president upon the death of the president, and it calls for an election to choose the new leader within 90 days. The constitution also says a president must be born of Zambian parents. Scott was born in the southern city of Livingstone when the country was still Northern Rhodesia, the son of a Scotsman, Alec Scott, who entered politics and opposed colonial rule, and an Englishwoman. Article 34 (b) of the constitution says that a presidential candidate must have parents who are Zambians by birth or descent. In previous rulings on the question of presidential parentage, the Supreme Court found that people who lived in Northern Rhodesia and became citizens when the country gained independence from Britain were eligible to be president because there was no Zambia their parents could have been from before 1964... There are precedents in this case. The first was on Chilubas election petition where this ruling was made. The Attorney General Know about these rulings and he advised Scott as such. We are reliably informed that the AG spent several hours at Scotts home in the early hours of yester morning before proceeding to the cabinet meeting where he made the announcement that Scott has taken over as president. If we can take article 34 (b) literally none of our past presidents could have qualified to stand as president as their parents were not born in Zambia, but Northern Rhodesia. I have a feeling that this matter will end up at the supreme court again for interpretation of Article 34 (b) and Guy Scott is likely to win. Am yet to be proved wrong. Copied fm emmanuel malanga Your comments?
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 09:45:19 +0000