News / National
GPA principals give Copac committee two-week ultimatum
01 Mar 2012 at 18:09hrs | Views
PRINCIPALS to the Global Political Agreement have given the Copac management committee a two-week ultimatum to conclude the Constitution's drafting process.
Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda said President Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai expected a draft within the same period.
"The President and the Prime Minister were deeply perturbed by the slow pace of the Constitution drafting process.
"They have now directed that the Management Committee of Copac concludes the whole process within the next two weeks, to submit a draft to them within the same time, which is to say by March 15, 2012."
Dr Sibanda said President Mugabe and PM Tsvangirai were determined to see the process through without further delay.
Zanu-PF's Politburo on Wednesday implored the principals to intervene in case Copac continues to delay the Constitution-making process.
The Politburo expressed concern at the slow pace at which Copac was dealing with the issue.
However, Copac co-chairperson Cde Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana said the management committee will finish reviewing the Draft Constitution by next week.
He said they were left with six out of the 18 chapters before handing the Draft Constitution to the principals.
The Constitution Select Committee has been forced to make a raft of changes to the Draft Constitution.
This followed reports that 70 percent of the information in the document was not solicited from the people, but a making of the drafters.
The GPA, which gave birth to the inclusive Government in 2009, acknowledges that it is the right of the Zimbabwean people to make a Constitution.
Copac is set to table the Draft Constitution to a second all stakeholders' conference and report to Parliament on its recommendations over the content of a New
Constitution for Zimbabwe.
The draft will be submitted to a referendum.
The draft was however, supposed to be tabled within three months of completion of the public consultation process to the second all stakeholders' conference, but was delayed.
The Draft Constitution and the accompanying report will be tabled before Parliament within one month of the second all stakeholders conference and debated within one month.
From Parliament, it will be gazetted before the holding of a referendum within three months.
President Mugabe is on record saying Zimbabwe will hold elections whether or not the Draft Constitution is accepted.
Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda said President Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai expected a draft within the same period.
"The President and the Prime Minister were deeply perturbed by the slow pace of the Constitution drafting process.
"They have now directed that the Management Committee of Copac concludes the whole process within the next two weeks, to submit a draft to them within the same time, which is to say by March 15, 2012."
Dr Sibanda said President Mugabe and PM Tsvangirai were determined to see the process through without further delay.
Zanu-PF's Politburo on Wednesday implored the principals to intervene in case Copac continues to delay the Constitution-making process.
The Politburo expressed concern at the slow pace at which Copac was dealing with the issue.
However, Copac co-chairperson Cde Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana said the management committee will finish reviewing the Draft Constitution by next week.
He said they were left with six out of the 18 chapters before handing the Draft Constitution to the principals.
The Constitution Select Committee has been forced to make a raft of changes to the Draft Constitution.
This followed reports that 70 percent of the information in the document was not solicited from the people, but a making of the drafters.
The GPA, which gave birth to the inclusive Government in 2009, acknowledges that it is the right of the Zimbabwean people to make a Constitution.
Copac is set to table the Draft Constitution to a second all stakeholders' conference and report to Parliament on its recommendations over the content of a New
Constitution for Zimbabwe.
The draft will be submitted to a referendum.
The draft was however, supposed to be tabled within three months of completion of the public consultation process to the second all stakeholders' conference, but was delayed.
The Draft Constitution and the accompanying report will be tabled before Parliament within one month of the second all stakeholders conference and debated within one month.
From Parliament, it will be gazetted before the holding of a referendum within three months.
President Mugabe is on record saying Zimbabwe will hold elections whether or not the Draft Constitution is accepted.
Source - TH
