Reports that President Robert Mugabe could call for an election date while on his month-long annual leave in the Far East are all but disturbing.
Editorial Comment
The failure to come up with a new constitution ready for the election will obviously put Zimbabwe into a constitutional vacuum despite denials by Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba.
Under the Global Political Agreement (GPA) which gave birth to the inclusive government, elections in the country can only be held under a new charter, hence there is need to work on resolving outstanding issues to ensure the country moves forward.
Therefore, Mugabe’s call to hold elections by March next year ring hollow for as long as Zanu PF continues to dilly-dally on the new governance charter. At its conference in Gweru early this month, Zanu PF resolved that the constitution-making process should be completed by Christmas, failing which Mugabe would dissolve Parliament and proclaim dates for harmonised elections using the current Constitution. But other GPA partners — MDC-T and MDC — have vehemently opposed any election before a new constitution was adopted.
In that vein, Sadc leaders, in particular South African President Jacob Zuma, guarantors of the GPA, should rein in Mugabe and his Zanu PF party to ensure sanity prevails, because if left unchecked Zanu PF could bulldoze its way with serious consequences for the majority of the citizenry. With the 30 contentious issues raised during the Second All-Stakeholders’ Conference still not resolved, it is evident that Copac may not produce a refined draft constitution any time soon.
Yet, the Cabinet Committee tasked to break the impasse on constitution-making on Thursday resolved to refer outstanding matters to the principals after finding common ground on only two of the 30 contentious issues. It is evident that Mugabe’s annual leave will stall the constitution-making process with a view to bulldoze the elections using the current constitution.
Given the snail’s-pace at which the constitution-making process is moving it is highly unlikely that a refined draft will be produced anytime soon. There is no need to hurry elections given the time and the amount of money spent in trying to come up with the country’s new supreme law. One wonders what Zanu PF fears. Why these outstanding issues are systematically cropping up is a matter of concern. Remember a constitution should not be self-serving –it is not for Zanu PF, Mugabe, MDC-T leader Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai or MDC’s Welshman Ncube. It is for future generations.
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While Zanu PF should not dictate the pace, it is our hope that sooner rather than later consultations will be completed to ensure the country moves forward. We are worried, however, why Mugabe is obsessed with holding elections under the current constitution.
It is obvious that outside the framework of the Inclusive Government any of the political parties in the country would face a serious legitimacy crisis if they were to govern without the other, more so without a new governance charter.
Of course, democracy is more than this, it abides in public participation. And so is the constitution-making process.
