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ZZZICOMP deploys monitors ahead of constitutional reform process
Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) Independent Constitution Monitoring Project (ZZZICOMP)
June 17, 2010

ZZZICOMP welcomes the long awaited launch of the Constitution Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) Outreach Programme on Wednesday 16 June 2010 by the three principals to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara.

Of particular importance was the call by the Principals for peace and non-violence during the public outreach process in keeping with the provisions of Article 6 of the GPA, "it is a fundamental right and duty of the Zimbabwean people to make a constitution by themselves and for themselves" and "that the process of making this constitution must be owned and driven by the people and must be inclusive and democratic". We acknowledge the commitments made by the Principals that the process must be undertaken in conditions that uphold the principles of inclusivity, tolerance, transparency and openness.

ZZZICOMP had noted with concern that prior to the official launch of the outreach; the process has been characterized by inordinate delays in the commencement of the outreach programme as stipulated in Article 6 of the GPA. The operating environment remains largely repressive thus impacting negatively on the participation by the public in the reform process. Furthermore, as the outreach was being launched, the public was and still is clueless as to the dates on which the various teams will visit their respective wards as well as sequencing of the meetings. We believe, this information is essential for the public to plan for their participation in the process.

In light of the above, ZZZICOMP proposes the following;

COPAC

• Having launched the outreach, there is need for broader publicisation of the outreach programme to enable full participation by the members of the public.
• ensure that there are no further delays to the public outreach process to ensure that the reform process is completed.
• Provide a clearer deployment plan and methodology to the public to encourage participation and allow for transparent monitoring preparations.
• Guarantee adequate security for all participating in the outreach process including monitors, observers and civil society, without fear or favour.

Political Parties

• Strict compliance with the provisions of article 6 of the GPA.
• Encourage their supporters to refrain from violence, threats and intimidation.
• Commit to upholding the rule of law by facilitating arrests and subsequent prosecution of perpetrators of violence, intimidation, and disruption incidental to the constitutional reform consultations.
• Ensure that the process is free from political party rhetoric that would result in further polarization as well as ensure full participation by the citizens.
• Ensure that Members of Parliament commit themselves to participating in the outreach programme

Donor Community

• We urge the donor community to remain committed to the constitution reform process.

In line with fulfilling its monitoring role ZZZICOMP will independently assess and evaluate the constitution-making process against established principles, benchmarks and standards of constitutionalism and constitution-making, including openness and transparency, inclusivity, legitimacy, accessibility and receptiveness.

Our goal is to objectively monitor, observe and report on the work of the Constitution Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC), the public outreach programme, the work of the Thematic Committees and the Drafting Committee, and the final document produced in order to adjudge how democratic and transparent the constitution-making process is, and if it accurately reflects the input of broad and diverse popular participation. To this end, ZZZICOMP has deployed 420 monitors, as well as provincial coordinators and other key personnel on the ground across the country, who have all along been observing the operating environment in general, and are now well prepared and ready to monitor the process. Our monitoring teams are dispersed nationwide in order to systematically gather information during the consultative processes, to comment on the operating environment and any breaches of the IPA in relation to the process, and to highlight any violations, violence, or other discrepancies which occur in the constituencies and wards in which they are operating.

ZZZICOMP's monitoring of the constitution-making process will act as a confidence-building measure for the people by holding those leading the process to account and insisting on greater transparency, pressuring for a conducive operating environment, availability of diverse information relating to constitution-making, and ensuring that the draft constitution ultimately produced is a true reflection of the input provided by those participating in consultative and outreach processes.

For further information and comments please contact the ZZZICOMP at
Email: zzzicomp@gmail.com, Hotlines:+263 916 404256-9 /+263 916 404292

Visit the Zimbabwe Election Support Network fact sheet

Visit the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights fact sheet

Visit the Zimbabwe Peace Project fact sheet

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