Zimbabwe 'Principals Have the Final Say' On New Constitution

President Mugabe, flanked by Vice President Joice Mujuru, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Deputy Prime Ministers Thokozani Khupe and Arthur Mutambara, and Copac co-chairman Douglas Mwonzora, at Copac’s All Stakeholders’ Conference on October 22, 2012., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

‘Principals have the final say’

Tuesday, 23 October 2012 00:00
Farirai Machivenyika and Lloyd Gumbo
Zimbabwe Herald

The principals in the Inclusive Government will have the final say on the draft constitution as they are the ones who conceived the Global Political Agreement that resulted in the ongoing constitution making process, President Mugabe said yesterday.

The President, who is Head of State and Government and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, said this yesterday while officially opening the second all stakeholders’ conference at the Harare International Conference Centre.

The President also urged participants to ensure that their views were reflected in the draft as captured in the National Statistical Report.

He reiterated that the harmonised elections would be held by the end of March next year.

“Ivo vatatu vamurikuona ava (President Mugabe, PM Morgan Tsvangirai and DPM Arthur Mutambara) tisu takanyora chinhu ichi chinonzi global agreement. Ndisu zvakare takati kumember dzedu dzeparliament hapana anoti kwete mese munosungirwa kuvhota (in parliament for constitution amendment number 19) zvino idemocracy iyoyo?” the President sarcastically asked.

“…the global agreement came into being that day and I am saying this because sometimes parliament thinks that it is full of sovereignty that it should control the acts of the principals, hazviite.

“There are limitations of course, the principals cannot do everything but they are the executive, they are the ones who agreed that ‘no we cannot have the Kariba draft,’ we must have a people driven constitution,” he said.

President Mugabe also took a swipe at Copac co-chairs Mr Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T) and Cde Paul Mangwana (Zanu PF) for their role in promoting the idea that the principals had no role to play in the process.