More than three million Zimbabweans on Saturday voted to adopt the new constitution, with a paltry 179,000 saying “no”. While Parliament is yet to pass the draft into the new supreme law, Mwonzora, said the endorsement of the draft constitution meant all provisions relating to the security sector and elections would immediately be enforced.
“One of the chapters that will come into operation immediately after the “yes” vote is Chapter 11, which governs the security services. The provisions under this Chapter (11) operate immediately. How it would be done is a matter of administration,” he said.
The Copac co-chairperson added: “All provisions with a bearing on elections come into force immediately. The Bill of Rights, provisions of devolution and those dealing with gender equality are included.”
The provisions under Chapter 11 strongly prohibit members of any of the security institutions from carrying out their duties in a partisan manner. It also bans them from being active members or office bearers of any political party.
The security institutions play a critical role in maintaining peace before, during and after elections hence the need for them to immediately comply with the provisions, said Mwonzora.
Post published in: News