The contest over Zambia’s presidential term limit has opened along a sharp new line. Kazungula North MP Dr Clement Andeleki called for the two-term cap to be scrapped, while former finance deputy minister Jonas Shakafuswa warned that the Constitution must never be tailored around…

The contest over Zambia’s presidential term limit has opened along a sharp new line. Kazungula North MP Dr Clement Andeleki called for the two-term cap to be scrapped, while former finance deputy minister Jonas Shakafuswa warned that the Constitution must never be tailored around an individual.

The two positions sum up the stakes of proposed amendments that would allow President Hakainde Hichilema to contest the 2031 election, a push opponents attribute to the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND).

Dr Andeleki, a prominent lawyer, said two terms were not enough for a performing President to fully implement and consolidate long-term development programmes. He wants the necessary constitutional amendments undertaken without delay.

“Robust constitutional amendments must be undertaken without delay in order to remove obstacles that hinder national development,” he said.

He was blunt about where he believes the current ceiling falls short. “Two terms are not enough for a president to holistically develop the country.”

The lawmaker said the country needed a constitutional framework that protected continuity where leadership was delivering results. Major national investments in infrastructure, agriculture, energy, education and health, he said, could take years before their full impact was realised.

In his view, the problem is one of timing. Major programmes often require several years to plan, finance, implement and consolidate. Forcing a change of leadership before they mature, he warned, could result in projects being abandoned, priorities being changed and public resources already invested going to waste.

Mr Shakafuswa took the opposite view, warning that a constitution shaped around a single leader rarely endures.

“When you tailor a constitution to a person or individuals, it usually fails the test of time. You live to regret it as a nation,” he said.

For the former deputy minister, the danger lies in the nature of power itself. “People and individuals come in different forms. Power changes them. A sheep will be a wolf tomorrow. Only foolish people would tamper with their safeguards against the test of time.”

He warned that a bad leader would rule Zambia one day.

Mr Shakafuswa also drew on recent history. Zambians, he said, fought former President Edgar Lungu‘s attempts at a third term even though Mr Lungu had been in office for less than 10 years. The reasoning and resolve behind that rejection, he said, should stand today.

He placed the burden squarely on lawmakers, urging Members of Parliament to set aside personal interests and act on behalf of the people. “That is the reason we refer to members of Parliament as honourable,” he said.

He went on to spell out what he expects of them. “They need to be honourable in their character, in their discharge of the affairs, on behalf of the people of Zambia. Not their selfish motives.”

The proposal has drawn sharp condemnation from a cross-section of society. Some opponents have described it as an attempt to crown Mr Hichilema president for life.

The two men approach the same clause from opposite ends. Dr Andeleki presents the limit as an obstacle to long-term delivery that can cost the country unfinished projects and wasted public money. Mr Shakafuswa presents it as a safeguard built to outlast any one leader, good or bad.

Their positions carry particular weight because of where each man stands. Dr Andeleki speaks as a sitting Member of Parliament in the new House, while Mr Shakafuswa speaks as a former member of the Executive who has watched an earlier attempt to extend presidential tenure fail.

What unites them is the belief that the decision belongs to Parliament and to the people. Dr Andeleki wants lawmakers to act swiftly to protect continuity. Mr Shakafuswa wants them to act honourably to protect the safeguard.

President Hichilema addresses Parliament on Friday, with the term-limit question now pressed from both inside the House and outside it.