Mon, 17 Oct 2016 13:18:46 +0000 COURTS of law have no powers to change the law to accommodate an election petition filed out of time, says Mr Justice Sunday Nkonde. Mr Justice Nkonde said the Court simply had no legislative powers to amend the law when there was a provision in the Constitution that stated the time frame for such actions as elections petitions. This was in a matter in which Mr Justice Nkonde dismissed a petition filed by UPND losing candidate Saidi Chibwana against Kabwe’s Bwacha Constituency Member of Parliamentary Sydney Mushanga and the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ). Mr Justice Nkonde said the High Court simply had no jurisdiction to allow amendments to the law in order to accommodate a petition filed after the prescribed time as provided for in the statute already expired. He said in his application, Mr Chibwana failed to provide any legal backing for his request to seek an […]
