The proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill has received overwhelming support from citizens, with more than 530 000 written submissions endorsing the proposed changes compared to 2 935 submissions opposing them, according to a report presented in Parliament yesterday.
The findings were tabled in the National Assembly by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs after the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi, reintroduced the Bill before its Second Reading.
Presenting the committee’s report, Chairperson, Eddison Zvobgo Jnr said the majority of submissions strongly supported key reforms contained in the Bill, including changing the method of electing the President from a direct public vote to election by Parliament.
According to the report, supporters argued that the proposed model would strengthen cooperation between the Executive and Legislature.
“The majority of submissions indicated that election of the President through Parliament would foster greater collaboration and confidence between the Executive and Parliament, thereby improving governance and policy alignment,” the committee reported.
The report further noted that supporters believed the proposed system would significantly reduce the high financial costs associated with conducting nationwide presidential elections.
“Submissions highlighted that presidential elections require enormous financial resources and have often been characterised by political tension, violence and disputes over electoral outcomes. Electing the President through Parliament would substantially reduce these challenges,” the report stated.
The committee also reported strong support for extending the term of office for the President and Members of Parliament from five years to seven years, with many respondents arguing that longer electoral cycles would allow Government to focus more effectively on development.
“The majority of public submissions favoured the adoption of longer electoral cycles, primarily because reducing the frequency of elections mitigates both the immense fiscal burden on the State and the disruptive perpetual campaign mode that frequently derails governance and development,” the report said.
According to the committee, respondents argued that longer mandates would create a more stable political environment and provide Government with adequate time to implement long-term development projects.
“They noted that developmental activities routinely slow down or halt during election periods as national focus shifts entirely toward political processes,” the report added.
Supporters of the proposal also pointed to international examples.
“Extended mandates are not unprecedented globally, with countries such as Egypt operating a six-year presidential cycle and Azerbaijan adopting a seven-year electoral cycle,” the report noted.
The committee further reported strong backing for the transfer of voter registration and management of the voters’ roll from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to the Registrar-General’s Office.
However, the committee acknowledged dissenting views on the issue.
“The minority view opposed the transfer of the voters’ roll to the Registrar-General, arguing that management of the roll had previously been removed from that office because of concerns over credibility and manipulation,” the report said.
Presenting the Bill, Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi described the process as an important stage in Zimbabwe’s constitutional development.
“Constitutions, by their very nature, are not monuments cast permanently in stone. They are living instruments of good governance, designed to respond to changing realities, emerging challenges and the evolving needs and aspirations of society,” he said.
“The true strength of a constitutional democracy lies not in rigid permanence, but in its capacity for lawful, reasoned and progressive adaptation.”
Minister Ziyambi said the proposed amendments were informed by practical experience gained since the adoption of the 2013 Constitution.
“This Bill is not an abandonment of our constitutional order but a continuation of it. It is a product of practical experience, institutional reflection and recognition that after more than a decade of implementation, certain provisions require refinement to enhance their functionality, coherence and service to national progress,” he said.
He urged legislators to consider the proposed amendments as part of Zimbabwe’s ongoing constitutional evolution.
“A Republic confident enough to write its own founding law must be mature enough to improve it. What I bring before this Honourable House is not a leap into the unknown, but a measured step informed by the realities of constitutional governance and our shared determination that the supreme law of our land should remain an instrument for development rather than an obstacle to it,” he said.
Minister Ziyambi also dismissed claims circulating in some sections of the media and on social media regarding the Bill.
“Let me state clearly and without qualification five things this Bill simply does not do. First, it does not give the President a term extension or a Third Term. Second, it does not take away the right to vote. Third, it does not concern itself with succession in any political party. Fourth, it does not postpone the nation’s elections to some distant or unknown year. Fifth, it does not concentrate power, or the running of elections, in the hands of the President,” he said.
“None of these things is true of the Bill before this Honourable House.”
Minister Ziyambi said the Bill seeks to reform the manner in which the President is elected while extending the national electoral cycle, the presidential term of office and the lifespan of Parliament from five years to seven years.
He argued that the proposed reforms were intended to address longstanding challenges that have emerged since the introduction of direct presidential elections in 1990.
“Since the introduction of direct presidential elections, public life has been gripped by a number of challenges that have hampered development and national progress. These afflictions are interconnected, feeding one another and becoming more pronounced with each electoral cycle,” he said.
Debate on the Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill is expected to continue as legislators examine the proposed reforms and their implications for Zimbabwe’s governance framework.
