President Emmerson Mnangagwa has given his assent to Amendment Bill No.2 which was recently approved by the Parliament.
The Bill generated a lot of interest in the country in the past weeks as some members of society disapproved the way it was passed.
According to various civil society organisations (CSOs), the Bill is signaling the death of democracy in the country.
Zanu PF got a helping from MDC-T in both houses to pass the Bill, and this has earned the Douglas Mwonzora led opposition party some criticism.
Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Misheck Sibanda confirmed the development through General Notice 907 of 2021 in the Extraordinary Government Gazette.
‘’The following laws, which have been assented to by His Excellency the President, are published in terms of Section 131(6) of the constitution of Zimbabwe.
“Manpower Planning and Development Amendment Act, 2020 (No. 12 0f 2020, Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.2) Act, 2021 (No.2 of 2021), he said.
The passing of this Act automatically means that the running-mates clause has been repealed, the President has been given powers to extend terms of office of top judges when they reach retirement age.
It also means that the Proportional Representation Clause has been extended by another decade.
Youths are now set to get 10 seats in the National Assembly as part of inclusion efforts.
Legal watchdog Veritas Zimbabwe was not happy with the way the original Bill was amended in the National Assembly.
According to Veritas Zimbabwe, the Bill that eventually passed differed greatly from the one that was gazette.
It remains to be seen how the Act will fare as CSOs are in the process of challenging its passing and some of the clauses which they say are unconstitutional. Others are of the view that the country should have gone to a referendum so that people could fully express themselves
Mnangagwa signs Amendment Bill No.2 into law
