LUSAKA, 7 November (IRIN) - The Zambian government has refused to give
into pressure for a constituent assembly to approve a new constitution
ahead of next year's presidential polls.

Thousands of Zambians participated in a protest on Tuesday last week
called by the pressure group the Oasis Forum, braving soaring
temperatures to hand petitions to MPs demanding that a bill be passed
to create a constituent assembly.

The following day, the government rejected a draft constitution
produced by a Constitutional Review Committee (CRC), which it had
appointed in 2002 to craft a new magna carta.

Included in the CRC's recommendations was a provision that a president
should be elected by more than 50 percent of the vote, a key demand of
the protestors.

Also suggested were proposals to make the vice-president a running
mate of the presidential candidate, and a reduction in the powers of
the presidency in favour of giving parliament more teeth.

Mwanawasa has reportedly given the CRC up to the end of December to
re-draft the proposed constitution.

The government's opponents hailed the CRC's original draft document,
and want a constituent assembly to pass the new constitution before
next year's presidential election - a target Mwanawasa has insisted
would be impossible to meet.

Professor Alfred Chanda, head of Transparency International Zambia,
warned that by not paying heed to perceived public opinion the
government might have to "pay a price" in the elections next year.

"The government's response to the successful demonstration [last week]
has so far been one of intransigence, but more demonstrations could
possibly make the government pay attention to the public," said Fred
Mutesa, a political science lecturer the University of Zambia.

Chanda said the problem was that Mwanawasa, who narrowly won
controversial elections in 2001 with just 29 percent of the vote, "is
probably aware that he might even lose that support next year - which
has made the government even more intransigent".

Mwanawasa has insisted, however, that a constituent assembly would be
too expensive an exercise for cash-strapped Zambia.

Voter registration is currently taking place for the 2006 election,
which insiders say could be held by July next year.


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