OPPOSITION legislators who have repeatedly complained of being sidelined during debate on Constitution Amendment No. 3 Bill (CAB 3) yesterday got an opportunity to air their views in the National Assembly.
Their debate exposed divisions within the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) over the controversial proposed changes.
The Bill, which seeks among other changes to extend the electoral cycle from five to seven years and introduce a parliamentary method of electing the President, has split CCC legislators between those aligned to self-imposed secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu, who supports the amendments, and those claiming allegiance to opposition politician Nelson Chamisa, who opposes them.
Yesterday, several vocal opponents of the Bill managed to make their contributions, although proceedings remained heated and were frequently interrupted.
CCC legislator Darlington Chigumbu attacked the proposed extension of the electoral cycle, arguing that elections themselves were not the cause of political violence in Zimbabwe and accused the ruling Zanu PF party of perpetrating violence.
Chigumbu was repeatedly interrupted during his contribution and was forced to withdraw remarks on three occasions after drawing objections from members of the House, mainly from Zanu PF.
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The legislator argued that violence was driven by political actors — in reference to Zanu PF — rather than the holding of elections.
His contribution came after days of complaints from opposition MPs who claimed they were being denied opportunities to debate the Bill.
While opponents of the amendments got a chance to speak, pro-CAB 3 CCC legislators also took to the floor to defend the proposed constitutional changes.
CCC MP Ottilia Sibanda threw her weight behind the extension of the electoral cycle, arguing that less frequent elections would promote peace and stability.
“In my view, if we increase the election cycle from the current five to seven years, as the Bill proposes to do, we give our country peace, stability and security,” Sibanda told Parliament.
“We protect our people from violence.”
Sibanda argued that Zimbabwe needed a break from what she termed “toxic politics” and called for deliberate efforts to increase political tolerance before the next election.
She also supported the proposal to have the President elected through Parliament rather than by direct popular vote, saying the move would reduce political tensions and election-related disputes.
Another CCC legislator, Samantha Mureyani, also backed the Bill, but struggled to make her contribution amid loud interjections from fellow opposition MPs.
Mureyani argued that direct presidential elections had historically fuelled political tension, violence and significant financial costs.
“The amendment establishes a parliamentary method for selecting the President. Direct presidential elections have historically bred political tension, violence and fiscal exhaustion,” she said.
She pointed to neighbouring South Africa and Botswana, where presidents are elected by Parliament, but was unable to complete her submission as heckling from other CCC legislators drowned out her speech.
The developments came as some opposition MPs continued to complain that the process of selecting speakers remained unclear.
Speaking to NewsDay Weekender, CCC legislator Corban Madzivanyika said he had failed to secure an opportunity to debate the Bill despite Parliament dedicating several days exclusively to the matter.
“Debate continued today. There were 69 members scheduled to debate today. My name is not on the list,” Madzivanyika said.
“I don’t know how the list is compiled because that is not normally how we do things.
“We normally submit our names, but for the past four consecutive days, I haven’t been successful in contributing.”
Parliament has suspended all other business to focus on CAB 3, with debate expected to continue amid growing controversy over both the contents of the Bill and the manner in which contributions are being managed.
Parliament denied allegations that Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda was stifling debate by not protecting opponents of the controversial Bill.