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ZANU PF set to re-draw Zimbabwe's constitution
Patricia Mpofu, ZimOnline
April 02, 2007

http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=1151

HARARE - President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU PF party at the weekend brushed aside opposition calls for comprehensive and people-driven constitutional reforms and instead agreed to unilaterally change Zimbabwe's Constitution to hold concurrent presidential and parliamentary elections in 2008.

Churches and civic society groups have called for an inclusive process to rewrite Zimbabwe's governance charter while the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party has threatened to boycott next year's polls unless Mugabe and ZANU PF first agreed to a completely new and democratic constitution that guarantees free and fair elections.

A ZANU PF central committee that on Friday nominated Mugabe as party candidate for the 2008 presidential poll appeared to ignore the opposition and civic society calls, agreeing to use the party's overwhelming parliamentary majority to make constitutional amendments that analysts said would only help further entrench Mugabe's hold on power.

The ruling party, which controls more than the two-thirds majority in Parliament required to make constitutional amendments, agreed to amend the Constitution to cut short the life of Parliament to 2008 so new elections could be held together with elections for President.

The planned constitutional amendment will also see elections for the House of Senate scrapped with new senators being chosen on proportional representation. Each party will be allocated senatorial seats next year based on support garnered in the general election to select House of Assembly representatives.

The number of seats in the House of Assembly will be increased from 150 to 210 while seats in the Senate will expand from 66 to 84 members under the proposed changes. ZANU PF presently has 109 seats in the lower chamber against the MDC's 41 seats. The opposition party controls seven seats in the Senate while the rest belong to ZANU PF.

Local government elections - held last November together with Senate elections - will also be brought forward to next year which means they will thereafter be held every five years instead of after four years.

Mugabe will be allowed to handpick 30 individuals to Parliament, a provision he enjoys under the present constitution and which he has used to appoint loyalists, friends and relatives to the House.

Another major change endorsed by the ZANU PF central committee was that in the event of a sitting president dying, resigning or being no longer able to continue with his duties, Parliament would sit as an electoral college to elect a successor.

At present fresh elections to choose a new president would have to be called within 90 days in the event of Mugabe dying, resigning or becoming unable to continue with his duties.

ZANU PF expects to fast track the proposed constitutional changes into law within the next three months.

MDC secretary general Tendai Biti told the media that the push by ZANU PF to hold elections next year without comprehensive and democratic constitutional reform would only help strengthen Mugabe's power base, while expansion of Parliament was aimed at filling the House with Mugabe loyalists. - ZimOnline

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