The ruling Patriotic Front has applied to join as an interested party a petition in the Constitutional Court where Livingstone magistrate Benjamin Mwelwa wants the court to order the Registrar of Societies to deregister all undemocratic political parties.
Mr Mwelwa, also an advocate of the High Court, has asked the Constitutional Court to deregister political parties that have not held party elections since 2016, as required by the amended Constitution.
He wants the court to declare that any political party which was registered and in existence as of January 5, 2016 and which has not promoted and practised democracy through regular, free and fair elections within its political party has breached Article 60(2)(d) of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act no. 2 of 2016 and therefore ceased to exist as a on January 4, 2017.
In this matter, Mr Mwelwa cited Attorney General Likando Kalaluka and the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).
And now, the PF, through its secretary general Davies Mwila, has applied to join the petition, saying it has sufficient interest to be joined as an interested.
Mwila stated that the PF as the ruling party will be affected by any order or declaration that may emanate from the petition and it should, therefore, be joined to the matter.
UPND, which made an application, has since been joined to the case.