Event Summary
On 9th July 2025 Speaker Nelly Mutti clarified that Bill 7 of 2025 can still proceed in Parliament if the Justice Minister chooses to advance it. Essentially, Speaker Mutti stated quite firmly that the Constitutional Court cannot actually stop this bill from moving forward in Parliament because it is already been introduced. She clarified that the court’s earlier ruling only applied to the bill’s process before it was submitted to Parliament, not its current status. However, despite the constitutional court’s ruling on 9th July, 2025 the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nelly Mutti issued a statement that sparked a new debate indicating that Bill 7 can still proceed in Parliament if the Justice Minister chooses to advance it and what the implications of the constitutional court’s ruling meant given the statement from the speaker. She firmly stressed Parliament’s independence once a law is in motion. CSOs and other stakeholders have continued to call for government’s action on the Bill to facilitate for wider consultations. The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) took a step further on 14th July 2025, and sued the speaker of the National Assembly, Nelly Mutti over her ruling on the deferment of the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 7 of 2025, describing it as unconstitutional. This is not just about the bill; it is about a bigger conversation in Zambia regarding how laws are made and the separation of powers and allowing the constitution to be “people driven” through vigorous consultation with stakeholders.