Alteration of Constitution

Alteration of Constitution (1) Subject to the provisions of this Article, Parliament may alter this Constitution or the Constitution of Zambia Act. (2) Subject to clause (3) a bill for the alteration of this Constitution or the Constitution of Zambia Act shall not be passed unless— (a) not less than thirty days before the first reading of the bill in the National Assembly the text of the bill is published in the Gazette; and (b) the bill is supported on second and third readings by the votes of not less than two thirds of all members of the Assembly. (3) A bill for the alteration of Part III of this Constitution or of this Article shall not be passed unless before the first reading of the bill in the National Assembly it has been put to a National referendum with or without amendment by not less than fifty per cent of persons entitled to be registered as voters for the purposes of Presidential and parliamentary elections. (4) Any referendum conducted for the purposes of clause (3) shall be so conducted and supervised in such manner as may be prescribed by or under an Act of Parliament. (5) In this Article— (a) references to this Constitution or the Constitution of Zambia Act, include reference to any law that amends or replaces any of the provisions of this Constitution or that Act; and (b) references to the alteration of this Constitution or the Constitution of Zambia Act or of any Part or Article include references to the amendment, modification or re-enactment with or without amendment or modification, of any provision for the time being contained in this Constitution, that Act, Part or Article, the suspension or repeal of any such provision and the making of different provision in lieu of such provision, and the addition of new provisions, to this Constitution, that Act, Part or Article. (6) Nothing in this Article shall be so construed as to require the publication of any amendment to any such bill as is referred to in the clause (2) proposed to be moved in the National Assembly. (7) A law made by Parliament shall not come into operation until it has been published in the Gazette, but Parliament may postpone the coming into operation of any such law and may make laws with retrospective effect. (8) All laws made by Parliament shall be styled "Acts" and the words of enactment shall be "Enacted by the Parliament of Zambia."