Financial Gazette
ZANU PF, which is pressing for the introduction of a 260-member bicameral parliament, is lobbying female legislators in the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to support the proposed constitutional amendments, expected to be tabled in parliament in the next few weeks.
ZANU PF officials were this week tight-lipped on the details of the proposed amendments, envisaged to take root after the March 2005 parliamentary polls.
MDC insiders told The Financial Gazette that female legislators were inundated with calls from ZANU PF officials to fully endorse the proposed amendments to the constitution to allow the ruling party to increase the number of contested seats to 150, as well as to pave way for the introduction of a 60-member senate.
Of the 60-member senate, 40 senators would be brought to the august House through proportional representation from 10 of the country’s political provinces. President Robert Mugabe would have the prerogative of appointing 10 governors and 10 chiefs to sit in the senate, bringing the total number of people in the proposed senator to 60.
The Financial Gazette has it on good authority that there are also proposals to have 50 special seats for women, again to be determined by proportional representation, to be drawn per province through out the country.
A draft document on the proposed constitutional amendment to alter the present parliament with 120 elected and 30 non-elected legislators has been presented to the executive. It is being circulated among the members of the opposition.
MDC female legislators who spoke to this newspaper this week confirmed that they had received overtures from ruling party legislators and other top party officials to fully support the proposals to overhaul the parliamentary structure.
“What ZANU PF is saying is that it is for the good of female legislators in the MDC to support the proposed amendments when they come to the House soon,” said an MDC female legislator who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The lobby is serious because ZANU PF needs at least four legislators from our ranks to have the required two-thirds majority to tamper with the constitution,” she added.
The MDC legislators were adamant they would not be bullied or coaxed into supporting piece-meal constitutional reforms.
“This latest proposal to tinker with the parliament, just like the proposed electoral reforms, will only benefit ZANU PF. There is no way we can embrace this latest one even though they are proposing 50 special seats for women,” added another female MDC legislator.
David Coltart, the MDC legal secretary, said his party’s position regarding constitutional reform had not changed.
“We have not shifted our position as a party. We want constitutional reform but this process should not be piecemeal as is being suggested by ZANU PF. We as a party want and will support comprehensive reforms,” said Coltart.
The proposal to introduce a bicameral parliament comes at a time when the Zimbabwe Parliament is itself undertaking a reform process, which kicked off in 1997.