Government gazettes Constitutional Amendment Bill that will extend Mnangagwa’s term of office
Government has gazetted the controversial Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill that seeks to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s second term by two years and change the way Zimbabwe has been electing a state leader since independence.
This officially kick-starts the lawmaking process.
The Bill, which also seeks to extend Parliamentary terms to seven years from five, has mounted pressure on Mnangagwa who is on record declaring that he will neither extend his stay in power or maneuver his way into sitting beyond his constitutionally mandated stay.
Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill, widely believed to be a creation of exiled former cabinet minister Jonathan Moyo, was presented to Mnangagwa and his ministers last week. All proposed provisions were approved.
Building on Zanu PF’s Resolution No. 1 that seeks to extend Mnangagwa’s stay up to 2030, the bill is said to be an attempt at aligning the Zimbabwean constitution with those of other African countries that are “effective, resilient, and widely respected.”
“This Bill introduces a set of constructive reforms that, taken together, reinforce constitutional governance, strengthen democratic structures, clarify institutional mandates, and harmonise Zimbabwe’s constitutional order with tested and successful practices in other progressive jurisdictions,” reads the memorandum published in the Government Gazette.
“It must be reiterated that many of the reforms incorporated into this Bill align Zimbabwe with contemporary African constitutional standards that have proven to be effective, resilient, and widely respected.”
Mnangagwa reportedly went against advice from his deputy Constantino Chiwenga and the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) by giving justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi authority to move forward with its drafting and presentation.
Opposition figures such Nelson Chamisa, Tendai Biti who now leads the Constitutional Defenders Forum (CDF), academics Justice Mavedzenge and Musa Kika have all trashed it.
Other than lengthen Parliamentarians and the President’s stay, Constitutional Amendment No. 3 will take from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) power to handle delimitation and authority over the voters’ roll.
It is quiet on Section 328 of the Zimbabwean Constitution which speaks to its amendments, who benefits and how it is done.
Parliament will now call for a 90-day period of public debate, after which the Bill will be tabled. *_-NewZimbabwe_*
