News / National
Mugabe expected to name deputies today
10 Dec 2014 at 06:13hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Mugabe convenes an extra-ordinary session of the Zanu-PF Central Committee at the party headquarters today where he is expected to appoint his two deputies, the national chairman and 20 heads of department of the Politburo plus at least five committee members and 21 deputies.
The Politburo has 21 heads of department, one of whom is the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe whose election to the post of Secretary for Women's Affairs was confirmed at the party's just-ended 6th National Peoples Congress.
The new look, streamlined Politburo will have at least 25 members down from the previous 67 as the 21 deputies will not sit in the Politburo.
The amended Zanu-PF constitution allows the President to appoint this exact number, less than that number or create more portfolios.
The provision empowering the President to appoint his two deputies plus the national chairman was mooted to kill factionalism by ensuring that the party has only one centre of power.
Having deputies and others in the Women's League directly elected had become a breeding ground for the factionalism, individualism and competing or multiple centres of power that afflicted Zanu-PF in the run-up to Congress.
The appointment of the deputies and national chairman is also consistent with Article 4 of the 1987 Unity Accord that brought together Zanu-PF and PF Zapu into the united Zanu-PF.
An official in the party's legal department, who spoke on condition of anonymity as she is not authorised to speak to the media, said contrary to reports in some sections of the media that no members of the Politburo are elected, everyone is actually elected as they are all drawn from Central Committee members who are elected in their districts within their provinces just like legislators.
"The one national organ is the Central Committee and members of the Central Committee are elected in their provinces within their districts just like Members of Parliament are elected in their constituencies, with the exception of the 10 Central Committee members out of 300 who are appointed as a balancing mechanism.
"It is a system we have had in the country and it is still there in which some members are appointed non-constituency MPs."
The Politburo has 21 heads of department, one of whom is the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe whose election to the post of Secretary for Women's Affairs was confirmed at the party's just-ended 6th National Peoples Congress.
The new look, streamlined Politburo will have at least 25 members down from the previous 67 as the 21 deputies will not sit in the Politburo.
The amended Zanu-PF constitution allows the President to appoint this exact number, less than that number or create more portfolios.
The provision empowering the President to appoint his two deputies plus the national chairman was mooted to kill factionalism by ensuring that the party has only one centre of power.
Having deputies and others in the Women's League directly elected had become a breeding ground for the factionalism, individualism and competing or multiple centres of power that afflicted Zanu-PF in the run-up to Congress.
The appointment of the deputies and national chairman is also consistent with Article 4 of the 1987 Unity Accord that brought together Zanu-PF and PF Zapu into the united Zanu-PF.
An official in the party's legal department, who spoke on condition of anonymity as she is not authorised to speak to the media, said contrary to reports in some sections of the media that no members of the Politburo are elected, everyone is actually elected as they are all drawn from Central Committee members who are elected in their districts within their provinces just like legislators.
"The one national organ is the Central Committee and members of the Central Committee are elected in their provinces within their districts just like Members of Parliament are elected in their constituencies, with the exception of the 10 Central Committee members out of 300 who are appointed as a balancing mechanism.
"It is a system we have had in the country and it is still there in which some members are appointed non-constituency MPs."
Source - The Herald
