By Talkmore F Mapfumo
The highly anticipated debate on the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill (CAB3) is set to continue tomorrow after Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda rejected opposition calls for the House to confine deliberations to normal parliamentary working hours.
Opposition legislators had urged Parliament to debate the controversial constitutional amendment during daytime sittings, arguing that the public would be better able to follow proceedings and that Members of Parliament would be able to deliberate more effectively.
The call was spearheaded by opposition MP Mushoriwa, who argued that such an important constitutional matter should be debated when citizens are awake and able to monitor the proceedings. He also raised concerns about the welfare and security of legislators should the debate extend late into the night.
However, Speaker Mudenda ruled against the proposal, clearing the way for debate on CAB3 to proceed under Parliament’s scheduled programme, including evening sittings if necessary.
The debate comes as Parliament begins consideration of the far-reaching constitutional amendment bill, which proposes significant changes to Zimbabwe’s governance framework, including extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years and altering the manner in which the President is elected.
The Bill has sparked intense political debate, with opposition parties, civil society organisations and constitutional experts raising concerns over several of its provisions, while the Government argues the reforms will strengthen governance and improve institutional efficiency.
