MDC-T MPs disrupt Electoral debate

MDC-T Members of Parliament yesterday disrupted parliamentary proceedings during debate on the Electoral Amendment Bill.

The Bill seeks to fine-tune the Electoral Act ahead of the harmonised elections expected in July.

The rowdy legislators even defied acting National Assembly Speaker Reuben Marumahoko, who repeatedly called them to order after they began singing in the august House.

The opposition legislators became irate when Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi - who is also the leader of Government business in the House - moved a motion for the adjournment of the House before the Electoral Amendment Bill was debated.

Minister Ziyambi indicated that some MPs who had proposed amendments to the proposed law were away on official business.

He cited Mrs Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga (MDC), who proposed several amendments, but was away on Parliament business.

Ironically, on Tuesday Minister Ziyambi acceded to a request by MDC-T MPs to have the debate deferred after the opposition legislators indicated that they needed more time to study the Bill.

But yesterday, the MDC-T legislators, led by their chief whip Mr Innocent Gonese, opposed the motion to adjourn the House.

"We are not agreeable to the House being adjourned because the issue of elections is important," said Mr Gonese.

Acting Speaker Marumahoko ruled that an affirmative vote would be used to determine whether the debate would proceed or not.

The MDC-T legislators then lost the vote, which triggered a cacophony of protests from the aggrieved MPs.