You might remember from my last news that Hakainde Hichilema, the newly inaugurated president, instilled lots of hope in Zambian citizens. According to Al Jazeera, Nelly Mutti replaced Patrick Matibini as parliament speaker in September 2021, significant for two reasons. First, replacing Matibini, who served for 10 years, symbolizes a fresh start for Zambia; second, she is the first female parliament speaker. Online reactions were very affirmative as Zambia was short of female political leaders, a common phenomenon in developing countries.


Figure 1. President Hichilema announcing the approbation of Nelly Mutti

Mutti as Parliament Speaker will work with two Deputy Speakers: Attractor Chisangano, a member of Hichilema’s United Party for National Development (UPND), and Moses Moyo, an independent candidate.

As a human rights lawyer and a former chairwoman of the country’s anti-corruption commission, Mutti is expected to demonstrate her exceptional leadership and communication skills. People place high hopes on her anti-corruption background as well, as the former president and his aide were highly corrupt, as stated by the BBC.

“It is therefore with great humility that I submit myself with the will of the house, I thank you,” said Mutti (Lusaka Times).

Sources:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/3/zambia-elects-first-woman-as-parliament-speaker
https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cdl8n2edezlt/zambia
https://www.lusakatimes.com/2021/09/03/prominent-lusaka-lawyer-nelly-mutti-elected-as-the-first-ever-woman-speaker-of-the-national-assembly/