George Chaponda, the Leader of the Opposition, has indicated that discussions will be held with the leader of the house to determine the next steps after Parliament turned down the nomination of Lonnie Chijere Phiri for the Parliamentary Service Commission.

The motion to appoint Phiri, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator, was blocked by government MPs, causing a division in the house.

During voting, 32 MPs voted in favour of Chijere Phiri while 75 MPs voted against her appointment while 85 MPs were not available in the house.

The development means the opposition DPP has to appoint another person to replace Chaponda.

Chaponda, who was set to be succeeded by Phiri, noted that such developments are part of the usual process and that the DPP remains unperturbed by the outcome.