By A Correspondent- Lovemore Madhuku, in his capacity as the chairperson of the Governance and Legislative Agenda committee in Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD), has remained defiant that the government must withdraw the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 2 for debate before Parliament.

Instead, Madhuku wants the government to incorporate the views of other stakeholders including those of POLAD into the contentious Bill before it is tabled for debate in Parliament.

On Friday, Madhuku was part of POLAD committee chairpersons who presented their reports to President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House in Harare.

Speaking after the event, Madhuku who is the President of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), said the proposals that his committee presented to Mnangagwa were for Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 2 to be withdrawn for debate in Parliament.

“We have tabled before the President our proposal that the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 2 must be withdrawn to give more time to POLAD and others to put input into one Bill we call the Omnibus Constitutional Bill that will look at other things,” Madhuku said.

“So what we have currently, which is before Parliament is what the government thinks. But we think that, that is not enough. We must have before Parliament what the government thinks and what other people think especially so that we start moving together. So that proposal is receiving consideration,” he said.  

Last year, the government gazetted the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 2, which seeks to introduce at least 27 amendments to the Constitution that was adopted in 2013 through an overwhelming voter support at a referendum.

However, Mnangagwa has been accused of trying to use the controversial amendments to create an imperial presidency and reduce Parliament’s oversight role.

If passed by Parliament, where Zanu PF enjoys a two-thirds majority, the running mate clause for the vice-presidents will be scrapped and the president will be given the sole responsibility to appoint judges and the prosecutor-general.

The proposed amendments will increase the number of ministers without parliamentary seats and limit Parliament’s powers in the adoption of international treaties, among other far-reaching governance issues.-Wires