WOZA has continuously engaged its members to debate constitutional issues and in December 2010 released a report capturing the responses of members to the Constitutional Outreach questions to the 26 thematic areas. This followed a 15 month consultative and civic education process that captured the views of more than 10,000 urban and rural members aged 14-93, most of them women.
The group welcomed the following positive inclusions in the draft:
• Justiciable rights, including socio-economic rights
• Prohibition of discrimination against women on the basis of customary law
• A single executive head of state, eliminating the prime minister position
• A limit of two terms on the President
• Provision for proportional representation in the National Assembly and the Senate
• Independent Electoral Commission to take control of voter registration and the voters’ roll
• Down-grading the Attorney- General to legal advisor of the government and establishment of an independent prosecuting authority
• Appointments of key personnel and commissioners of independent commissions on the recommendation of a Parliamentary Public Appointments Committee, which will subject candidates to public interviews
• Requirements for all public officers to declare all their assets at regular intervals
• De-politicisation of the public service, judiciary, and security sector
• Amendment only by means of a referendum
Post published in: News