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Amendment Bill heads to Parly on May 18
5 hrs ago |
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The Constitutional Amendment (No. 3) Bill is set to be tabled before the Parliament of Zimbabwe on May 18, following the conclusion of nationwide public hearings where it was reportedly widely received.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi confirmed that the Bill will now proceed to parliamentary scrutiny in line with legislative procedures.
Once formally presented, the Bill will move into the next stages of the law-making process, beginning with the Second Reading after the expiry of the constitutionally required 90-day consultation period.
"The consultations are still ongoing as Parliament continues to receive written submissions, even though oral hearings have been concluded. Relevant committees are now collating data and will produce reports to be presented after the Second Reading," Ziyambi said.
The public consultations were conducted in accordance with Constitution of Zimbabwe, which obligates Parliament to ensure citizen participation in legislative processes and to consult interested stakeholders on proposed laws.
Ziyambi indicated that his Second Reading speech will outline the objectives, rationale and key provisions of the Bill, before legislators open debate.
"Once debate is exhausted and issues raised are clarified, the Bill will proceed to the committee stage, where Members of Parliament will analyse it clause by clause, making amendments where necessary," he said.
Following the committee stage, the Bill will be put to a vote, requiring a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly for it to pass. If approved, it will then be read for a third time and transmitted to the Senate for a similar process.
Among its key provisions, the Constitutional Amendment (No. 3) Bill proposes extending the presidential term from five to seven years and introducing a system where the President is elected by a joint sitting of Parliament.
The Bill also seeks to transfer oversight of the voters' roll to the Registrar-General and grant the President powers to appoint an additional 10 senators.
The legislative process is expected to take between two and three weeks once debate begins.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi confirmed that the Bill will now proceed to parliamentary scrutiny in line with legislative procedures.
Once formally presented, the Bill will move into the next stages of the law-making process, beginning with the Second Reading after the expiry of the constitutionally required 90-day consultation period.
"The consultations are still ongoing as Parliament continues to receive written submissions, even though oral hearings have been concluded. Relevant committees are now collating data and will produce reports to be presented after the Second Reading," Ziyambi said.
The public consultations were conducted in accordance with Constitution of Zimbabwe, which obligates Parliament to ensure citizen participation in legislative processes and to consult interested stakeholders on proposed laws.
"Once debate is exhausted and issues raised are clarified, the Bill will proceed to the committee stage, where Members of Parliament will analyse it clause by clause, making amendments where necessary," he said.
Following the committee stage, the Bill will be put to a vote, requiring a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly for it to pass. If approved, it will then be read for a third time and transmitted to the Senate for a similar process.
Among its key provisions, the Constitutional Amendment (No. 3) Bill proposes extending the presidential term from five to seven years and introducing a system where the President is elected by a joint sitting of Parliament.
The Bill also seeks to transfer oversight of the voters' roll to the Registrar-General and grant the President powers to appoint an additional 10 senators.
The legislative process is expected to take between two and three weeks once debate begins.
Source - The Herald
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