Parliament to dissolve despite bid by MPs to extend sittings
Parliament is expected to be dissolved on Thursday, June 9, 2022, to allow lawmakers to officially start campaigning ahead of the August polls.
MPs had earlier passed a procedural motion that could have extended sittings at the National Assembly to June 17.
However, the August House reverted to the initial plan to dissolve on June 9. The shutdown forced lawmakers to ensure they dispensed priority business before Parliament was adjourned.
Parliament last sitting
The announcement that Parliament would be dissolved on Thursday saw MPs pass a procedural motion on Wednesday scheduling a morning sitting on the last day of business in the House.
Lawmakers rushed against time to pass the procedural motion to allow the National Assembly to deliberate on priority business ahead of the dissolution.
The motion to allow MPs to have one final sitting on Thursday was presented in Parliament by the Majority Whip Emmanuel Wangwe.
Among the bills that the National Assembly is rushing against time to dispense with include supplementary estimates for the financial year 2021/2022 and draft elections regulations for 2022.