Hh Had No Power to Close Courts — State House

HH HAD NO POWER TO CLOSE COURTS” — STATE HOUSE

Details in the Statement…….

We have noted with concern claims that President Hakainde Hichilema ordered the closure of the courts on Monday, 24th August 2026 to prevent the opposition from filing election petitions. This allegation is inconsistent with both the constitutional order and the available facts.

President Hichilema is not only a firm believer in good governance and the rule of law, but equally in the principle of the separation of powers. The Judiciary is an independent arm of the State, and the President has neither the constitutional authority nor the power to determine when, how or from whom the courts receive filings.

The measures taken on Monday were not directed at the Judiciary alone. As the Inspector General of Police has publicly confirmed, security risk assessments were being carried out at selected key Government premises across the country, including institutions under the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security, the National Prosecution Authority and the Attorney General’s Chambers.

The operations were intelligence-led and preventive, aimed at safeguarding Government institutions, public officers and members of the public accessing those premises. A precautionary measure applied across several arms and departments of Government cannot reasonably be presented as an operation aimed at a single litigant.

Nor is the suspension of court operations without precedent. Court business in Zambia has been suspended before for reasons entirely unconnected to any matter pending before the courts, including during the pandemic, when sittings were curtailed and calendars disrupted nationwide in the interest of public safety. On each occasion the suspension was an administrative response to conditions on the ground. On each occasion normal business resumed. Precedent of this kind is neither novel nor partisan.