Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has unveiled his own roadmap for the country's controversial constitutional review process, saying the new constitution will not be ready until May 2008, instead of December 2005 as proposed by some opposition groups.

In a statement published here Sunday, the president said a draft constitution will be ready by February 2005, while a referendum will be held in the first quarter of 2006 to decide how the new constitution should be adopted.

According to the presidential roadmap, representatives will be elected between April and June 2007 in order to form a popular body to adopt the new constitution.

The draft constitutions will be presented to parliament for enactment between February and April 2008 and be assented by the president later.

The president's roadmap came a few days after a roadmap was proposed by the opposition group Oasis Forum, which insists that the new constitution be enacted by the end of 2005, so that the general elections in 2006 could be conducted on the basis of the new constitution.

Mwanawasa inaugurated a 41-member constitutional review commission in May 2003 to produce the country's fourth constitution since its independence in 1964.

Since then, there have been hot debates on how the new constitution should be adopted. Opposition groups insist that it should be adopted by a constitutional assembly, while the government prefers enactment by the parliament, saying that a constitutional assembly will be too costly for the poor southern African country.

Despite his own roadmap, the president said his government stands ready to consider any reasonable proposals on the process.

He also reiterated his willingness to consult with interested stakeholders. In fact, the president renewed his invitation to the Oasis Forum and Citizens Forum to discuss the issue.

The president would like to renew his personal commitment to enacting a people driven Constitution which shall stand the test of time, the statement said.

Source: Xinhua