CABINET, in its last meeting of the year before it breaks for the festive holidays yesterday, approved the Constitutional Amendment Bill of 2019 which will allow the President-elect to appoint two Vice Presidents, while repealing the provision of running mates.

The 2013 Constitution, through Section 92, has a 10-year transitional clause that provides for the joint election of the President and two running mates selected by the Presidential candidate.

Constitutional experts have always criticised the clause, saying it is an “American concept” that can potentially precipitate a political crisis by creating two centres of power.

Presenting the 45th Cabinet Meeting Decisions Matrix in Harare yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said her Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs counterpart, Ziyambi Ziyambi, presented the proposed amendments to Cabinet.

“Cabinet considered and approved the Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2019 which the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi presented as Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Legislation.

“Some of the salient amendments to be effected will include the following:

Provision, under Section 94 of subsection (2) to allow the President-elect, as soon as he assumes office, to appoint two persons to be Vice Presidents who shall take their oaths of Office before the Chief Justice or the next senior judge available as set out in the Third Schedule.

“It also set out in Section 95 the conditions under which a Vice President will vacate office, which include resignation, removal by the President, serious misconduct, failure to uphold the Constitution or inability to perform the functions of the office due to physical or mental incapacity,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.State media