News / National
Zanu-PF will never reform itself out of power, Prof Moyo declares
06 Sep 2016 at 08:09hrs | Views
ZANU-PF has no intention of creating an environment that will ensure it loses elections, ruling party Politburo member and Cabinet Minister, Professor Jonathan Moyo, has said.
He told journalists at the Bulawayo Press Club on Friday:
"They want to say put in place electoral reforms that will ensure that you lose and we win. And were saying no. That will never happen anywhere in a modern constitutional democracy, that a political party that has come into government on the back of a new negotiated constitution, on the back of a new negotiated Electoral Act, comes up with reforms that will reform it out of power. Because the reforms they're talking about are clear codes to say come with reforms that will ensure that you're out"
The Tsholotsho North MP said opposition parties are turning a blind eye to the Electoral Act which is a result of provisions of the Constitution that was adopted in 2013.
"Let us be clear. For a long time since 1999 the opposition said the most important reform in the country is a new constitution.
Zanu-PF, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC-T and the then Professor Mutambara-led MDC were the parties involved in the GPA.
Prof Moyo said when the new constitution was adopted the parties which were in Government started working on electoral reforms together.
They were saying 'no new constitution no elections' for a long time. We got that in 2013 and it was a negotiated constitution among those in the Global Political Agreement. And it was supported by the majority of the electorate through the referendum," he said.
Any institution that is unhappy with thee Electoral Act, he said, should approach the Constitutional Court.
"Those who made these laws should be the ones who know about the provisions of Section 2 of our Constitution. They can't keep saying that they're practices that are this and that. Go to the Constitutional Court that's why you've the new Constitution," he said.
"The Electoral Act is a product of GPA parties. Then they figure 'no we must still talk about electoral reforms.' It is totally unacceptable and we should not be in doubt about that because the fundamental law of the country has changed and there is no law, conduct, practice or custom that supersedes the law or that is above the Constitution. Any aspect of our practice, political practice, custom, conduct or law that is inconsistent with this new constitution is a nullity," said Prof Moyo.
He told journalists at the Bulawayo Press Club on Friday:
"They want to say put in place electoral reforms that will ensure that you lose and we win. And were saying no. That will never happen anywhere in a modern constitutional democracy, that a political party that has come into government on the back of a new negotiated constitution, on the back of a new negotiated Electoral Act, comes up with reforms that will reform it out of power. Because the reforms they're talking about are clear codes to say come with reforms that will ensure that you're out"
The Tsholotsho North MP said opposition parties are turning a blind eye to the Electoral Act which is a result of provisions of the Constitution that was adopted in 2013.
"Let us be clear. For a long time since 1999 the opposition said the most important reform in the country is a new constitution.
Zanu-PF, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC-T and the then Professor Mutambara-led MDC were the parties involved in the GPA.
Prof Moyo said when the new constitution was adopted the parties which were in Government started working on electoral reforms together.
They were saying 'no new constitution no elections' for a long time. We got that in 2013 and it was a negotiated constitution among those in the Global Political Agreement. And it was supported by the majority of the electorate through the referendum," he said.
Any institution that is unhappy with thee Electoral Act, he said, should approach the Constitutional Court.
"Those who made these laws should be the ones who know about the provisions of Section 2 of our Constitution. They can't keep saying that they're practices that are this and that. Go to the Constitutional Court that's why you've the new Constitution," he said.
"The Electoral Act is a product of GPA parties. Then they figure 'no we must still talk about electoral reforms.' It is totally unacceptable and we should not be in doubt about that because the fundamental law of the country has changed and there is no law, conduct, practice or custom that supersedes the law or that is above the Constitution. Any aspect of our practice, political practice, custom, conduct or law that is inconsistent with this new constitution is a nullity," said Prof Moyo.
Source - chronicle
