ZANU PF Chief Whip Pupurai Togarepi has defended the ruling party’s opposition to a secret ballot during voting on Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, insisting that Members of Parliament elected under political parties are expected to publicly uphold their parties’ positions on constitutional matters.
Speaking to ZiFM Stereo News, Togarepi said open voting reflects long-standing parliamentary practice in Zimbabwe and promotes transparency by allowing citizens to clearly identify where individual MPs and political parties stand on key national issues.
According to Togarepi, there is no justification for introducing secret ballots for the proposed constitutional changes when previous amendments were handled through open voting procedures.
“This is about ensuring the public knows the position taken by political parties,” he said. “Parliament operates through political parties, and MPs are elected on party tickets. They openly represent those positions, so there is nothing to conceal.
“We have amended the Constitution before without using secret ballots. This amendment should not suddenly be treated differently because certain individuals have their own interests. Political parties have clear positions on legislation, and their representatives in Parliament are expected to advance those positions.”
Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 has already gone through the mandatory 90-day public consultation process required under Section 328 of the Constitution and is now heading towards crucial parliamentary stages where voting will determine its fate.
With its overwhelming numerical advantage in the National Assembly, ZANU PF is widely expected to push the Bill through Parliament without difficulty.
The ruling party currently holds more than 190 seats in the lower house, comfortably surpassing the two-thirds majority required to amend the Constitution.
However, ZANU PF did not initially secure the constitutional threshold during the August 2023 harmonised elections. At the time, the party won both the presidency and a parliamentary majority but remained short of the 180 seats needed to unilaterally amend the Constitution.
The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) had secured enough seats to block constitutional changes requiring a supermajority.
The political landscape shifted in October 2023 after Sengezo Tshabangu emerged claiming to be the CCC’s interim secretary-general and proceeded to recall several elected CCC legislators and councillors, arguing they no longer belonged to the party.
Although CCC leader Nelson Chamisa rejected Tshabangu’s authority and described him as an impostor, both Parliament and the courts upheld the recalls, triggering a series of by-elections.
ZANU PF capitalised on the opposition turmoil and mounted strong campaigns in the subsequent polls, winning a number of constituencies in Harare, Bulawayo and surrounding areas that had previously been held by the CCC.
By February 2024, following another round of by-elections, the ruling party had crossed the 180-seat mark, effectively gaining the parliamentary strength required to pass constitutional amendments without relying on opposition support.
