HARARE, Jun. 4 (NewsDay Live) – The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has rejected parliamentary voting results on Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3), alleging the public consultation process was manipulated to manufacture support for the proposed constitutional changes.
The opposition’s response follows the release of a report by Parliament’s joint portfolio committees on the Constitution Amendment (No. 3) Bill, detailing submissions received during nationwide public consultations.
In a statement, MDC national spokesperson Lloyd Damba dismissed the reported figures, which indicate that 537,102 people supported the bill compared to 2,935 who opposed it.
“Parliament has released results claiming 537,102 citizens support CAB3 against only 2,935 opposed. The MDC rejects these numbers as a fraud, not a reflection of the people’s will,” Damba said.
“A bill that seeks to remove your right to vote, drag chiefs into partisan politics and hand voter registration to the Attorney General cannot win the hearts of 99.5% of Zimbabweans.”
CAB3 has sparked intense debate, with critics arguing that some of its provisions could weaken democratic institutions and expand executive influence over key state functions.
Damba alleged that public consultations were influenced by ruling party structures and traditional leaders.
“This is not a consultation. It is coercion,” he said. “The ‘landslide’ was manufactured through village heads, chiefs and Zanu PF-affiliated structures that threatened villagers, bused supporters to hearings and flooded email platforms with identical submissions.”
- Mwonzora skeletons tumble
- Mwonzora skeletons tumble
- I will definitely win 2023 elections: Mwonzora
- Village Rhapsody: Electoral court challenges sign of mistrust in the process
Keep Reading
He further claimed that some citizens feared reprisals for expressing opposition to the bill.
“When citizens face threats of land confiscation, grain denial or violence for saying ‘no’, the results will always favour the bullies,” Damba said.
The MDC challenged the government and Parliament to subject the proposed amendments to a national referendum.
“If Parliament truly believes its own numbers, then let the people decide. We dare Zanu PF to call a national referendum on CAB3,” Damba said.
“Put the bill to a secret ballot and let Zimbabweans vote without chiefs, village heads or intimidation watching over their shoulders.”
He said the opposition would continue to oppose the bill, arguing that the consultation outcome did not reflect the views of all Zimbabweans.
Several civil society organisations have also questioned the figures contained in the parliamentary report, arguing that independent verification and greater transparency are necessary before the results can be relied upon as evidence of public support for constitutional amendments.
