Former MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora said the running mate clause was meant to ensure smooth succession in the event of the President leaving office for any reason.

Mwonzora, who was co-chairperson of the Constitutional Select Committee (COPAC), which spearheaded the writing of the 2013 Constitution, expressed his sentiments on microblogging site Twitter. He wrote:

The running mate clause was meant to ensure smooth succession in the event of the president leaving office for any reason.

By ensuring that a President chose his deputy before an election it would ensure the appointment of relatively better quality Vice Presidents.

Mwonzora made the remarks following the cabinet’s approval of Constitutional Amendment Bill 2019, which seeks to repeal section 92 of the Constitution dealing with running mates.

The removal of the clause will empower the President to hire and fire his deputies as well as appoint and promote judges.