LAST week, Speaker of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti declared the Chawama parliamentary seat, held by former president Edgar Lungu’s daughter Tasila Lungu, vacant. Predictably, this decision has triggered a wave of political debate across the country. Makebi Zulu has called the move illegal and an attempt to kill democracy. This sentiment is, of course, expected from Mr Zulu, the PF presidential aspirant who also happens to be the Lungu family’s spokesperson. But putting several factors into perspective, was Mutti simply fulfilling her constitutional duty without fear or favour? Or was this a harsh and politically influenced move that failed to recognise a deeply unusual human situation? Strictly looking at the law, it must be acknowledged that Zambia’s legal framework...