Malawi Freedom Network 
By Lovemore Lubinda
LUSAKA – A storm is brewing on the Zambian social media landscape, and unlike in most cases, it has nothing to do with celebrities, relationships, scandals, football or music.
It is about the law and how the country’s highest office exchanges occupants.
The trigger is a suggestion by the United Party for National Development (UPND)’s Proportional Representation MP Florence Chileshe Chama who recently came to the open calling for President Hakainde Hichilema to remain in office beyond 2031.
Chama is on record saying women “don’t want democracy but development,” which she linked to continued support for Hichilema beyond the current constitutional limit.
She is among the women who entered the National Assembly through the new proportional representation system.
Apparently, her remarks have added to an emerging debate inside the governing-party circles, after UPND official Michael Chuzu recently suggested that President Hichilema is currently completing what he described as the political term of late party founder Anderson Mazoka and would begin his own term in 2031.
Be that as it may, Mazoka never served as Zambian President, therefore Chuzu’s proposition is more of a political argument rather than the present constitutional position.
Meanwhile, what started as a few comments from party sympathizers has turned into a full-blown national conversation, with thousands of Zambians weighing in on social media platforms such as Facebook and X.
Malawi Freedom Network tracked the debate, and the mood is split between love for the current President and fear for the future.
For some, the argument is simple: a good president should not be forced out.
“Honestly we Zambians can’t afford to loose a good president something must be done,” wrote Tasila Zulu.
That sentiment was echoed by Oscar Aliko Halwindi, who argued: “If People are Demanding For The Third Term Who Are We To Deny Them That Opportunity.”
But for many others, the debate is not about President Hichilema at all – it is about what happens after him.
In a post that has been widely shared, Morgan Chanda cautioned Zambians not to write the Constitution around one man, however popular he may be.
“Why remove presidential term limits in the first place? Not all future presidents will be like President Hakainde Hichilema. Yes, we love President HH, and many of us believe he means well for our country,” he wrote.
“But here is the question we must ask ourselves: Are we guaranteed that every future president will have the same intentions for Zambia? The answer is NO!”
Chanda warned that removing limits could open the door to leaders who refuse to leave, pointing to long-serving presidents like Paul Biya of Cameroon and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.
“Our Constitution should not be designed around our love for one individual. It should protect the country against the possibility of future leaders who may not have the same intentions… Presidential term limits are not just about the person leading us today. They are about protecting future generations and ensuring that no individual becomes bigger than the nation.”
Not everyone agrees with that fear.
Siagoko Gideon Lucy countered that term limits do not stop democracy, because Zambians would still be voting.
“It will be the people to change. Removing presidential limits does not mean we will stop voting for our choice, no. But it means a president can stand number of times and can still be a president as long as you vote for that person,” she argued.
“The fear of having a bad president in future shouldn’t even be there because if we choose someone else we see that, that person isn’t performing as expected, we will still have the right to remove him, of course by voting him out.”
But Chikoma Mbewe believes that is a risky gamble. He is of the opinion that even legends will one day have to lay down their armor.
“My take? Keep the presidential term limit. I don’t believe Zambia should change a constitutional safeguard simply because we may have a president we consider good or productive. Presidents come and go; the Constitution must protect the country beyond any particular individual,” Mbewe wrote.
“A good president should have five years to govern, and, if re-elected, another five years to consolidate their work. After that, the baton should pass. If the policies are good, the next government should build on them. If the institutions are strong, they should outlive the person who built them.”
“We should build a Zambia where good governance survives good presidents – not one where good governance depends on keeping one president in power.”
As of Monday night, the hashtags around the term extension were still trending in Lusaka, with no official statement yet from State House.
What is clear is that Zambians are not debating HH’s performance alone. They are debating what kind of country they want after HH – and whether the Constitution should be built for a beloved individual, or for generations to come.
*Government position:*
Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha says the upcoming constitutional review will follow legal channels and involve the public, coming at a time when remarks by some UPND members have sparked speculation over presidential term limits.
“The reform process will not be dictated by political commentary,” Kabesha told Phoenix News in an interview recently.
According to Kabesha, citizens will be given space to contribute to any proposed changes to the Constitution and government will take into account opinions raised by the public and Members of Parliament.
Kabesha attempted to draw a line between individual political remarks and the official reform agenda.
He said pronouncements from both the ruling party and opposition should not lead to panic, stressing that any constitutional amendment would have to go through the full legal procedure.
The clarification matters because as noted, comments made by individual MPs or party officials cannot on their own alter the rules on presidential tenure.
For any such change to take effect, it would need to be formally tabled as part of a constitutional amendment bill and meet the specific legal thresholds required for that clause.
At this stage, therefore, suggestions that President Hichilema should stay beyond 2031 remain political opinions, while the official position from the Attorney General is that any future reforms will be handled through public engagement and in line with the law.
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