Requirement to hold a hearing in the last instance

Electoral Act 2006, 102

An election petitionshall be tried and determined by the High Court in open court, within onehundred and eighty days of the presentation of the election petition asprovided under section ninety-seven:

Provided that where anelection petition is not tried and determined within the period specified inthis subsection due to a failure by the petitioner to actively prosecute thepetition, the High Court shall dismiss the petition for want of prosecution.

http://aceproject.org/regions-en/eisa/ZM/Electoral%20%20Act%202006.pdf