Mnangagwa summons Parliament to extra-ordinary sitting

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has summoned Parliament to an extraordinary sitting to conduct special business related to the Preliminary Delimitation Report.

The National Assembly was due to resume sitting on the 24^th of January but will have to reconvene on the 6^th of January according to a memo from Parliament.

In summoning Parliament to resume its sitting, President Emmerson Mnangagwa used Section 110(2)(c) of the Constitution which says the President has powers to ‘’summon the National Assembly and the Senate or Parliament to an extra-ordinary sitting to conduct special business’’.

The notice which was sent to legislators said ‘’In terms of Section 110(2)(c), His Excellency, the President Dr. ED Mnangagwa has summoned Parliament to an extra-ordinary sitting to conduct special business relating to the Preliminary Delimitation Report on Friday 6th January 2023 at 9.00 am.

‘’Due to accommodation challenges still being experienced in Harare, Members are advised to attend the sitting virtually.

‘’The login details will be shared in due course. A few Members who will attend physically will be advised by the Chief Whips,’’ read the memo.

The Preliminary Delimitation Report was submitted to President Emmerson Mnangagwa a few weeks ago by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba.

For the contents of the report to be used for the 2023 general elections, the exercise must have been completed and gazette by 30 January which is at least six months before the general elections.

Zimbabwe is expected to hold general elections between July and August.

Besides the Delimitation Report, there is also the Electoral Amendment Bill which was gazetted and will come before Parliament when it officially opens.

The Electoral Amendment Bill is supposed to address various reforms that have been proposed by several political parties and other election stakeholders. However, some stakeholders have castigated the Bill for not addressing critical issues that have been raised by stakeholders.

Mnangagwa summons Parliament to extra-ordinary sitting