Parliament discusses controversial bill (18-09-07)

mendment of the the country’s constitution, which the main opposition argues to be favouring the ruling party and not people oriented.

If the new bill gets the backing from the opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), who appear to be heavily against the amendment instead of redoing the whole constitution which is people driven, then the forthcoming presidential elections set for March 2008 would be delayed by another six months or more.

But if the opposition gives it a thump up in this prolonged debate, then the presidential election might go ahead as earlier on planned.

However, the debate on Tuesday was full of mixed reactions with the Morgan Tsvangirai MDC vehemently opposing the idea of an amendment whilst pushing forward for the notion to have a new people driven constitution.

Tuesday’s Constitutional Amendment Bill debate was aimed at convincing the disgruntled opposition political parties allow both the presidential election set for next year to run concurrently with the parliamentary, council elections respectively.

The MDC are demanding that the elections could only be held once the ruling party has removed some of its draconian laws in the constitution arguing that the was no room for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.

As a sign of bowing down to the relentless pressure being exerted by South African President, Mbeki, who has been tasked by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) grouping to help find the long lasting solution to the Zimbabwean economic and socio-political crisis, Zimbabwe would soon find itself with no friends if blows this glorious opportunity away that has been presented to them.

Already the western world had since made it clear that it would not tolerate a nation of dictator attending to its international summits and fora as a way to pin down the 83 year old Zimbabwean dictator, Robert Mugabe.

To date, the Zimbabwean constitution was amended 18 times, and if the ongoing bill is passed into law, then the constitution of Zimbabwe would have been amended 19 times, a record in the world.

However, whilst the oppsotion are calling for the complete overhaul of the constitution and go for the people driven one, it appears president Mugabe’s government is now pushing for yet another controversial move in parliament where the existing constitutions would be sub-divided into, particularly in the rural areas so as to enhance Zanu PF’s chances of winning the 2008 election.

Presently, the parliament of Zimbabwe has 150 seats with 120 of them are being contested in parliament whilst the 30 other seats are being donated to Zanu PF chiefs and ministers, who would have lost to the opposition.

Under the new Zanu PF proposed bill, the parliamentary seats would be extended to more than 200 seats in the ruling party’s strong-holds, a move the opposition are treating with great suspicion as another dill-dalling by Mugabe in order to rig the elections- CAJ News.