DECEMBER, 2023
Major Highlights
ZESN calls for
Constitutional
Amendment to
Scrap Recalls
The Zimbabwe Electoral Support Network (ZESN) has demanded that a constitutional provision allowing for the recall of
elected officials be revised. It contends that the ‘electorate should have the authority to recall legislators’, contrary to the
current provision that give political parties immense power to reverse the electorate’s democratic will of choosing their
leaders. In addition to the financial cost of by-elections, the trend has shown that voter turnout becomes lower due to the
time-consuming processes of election hence disadvantageous to millions of the voter population. ZESN’s statement stated
that “Parliament should amend Section 129 (k) of the Constitution as recalls affect the essence of democracy. The power to
recall, if any, must reside in the people and not political parties as is the trend in the majority of democracies." The statement
also added that “there is a need to register and regulate political parties to address the issue of recalls as they bring into
question the significance and relevance of elections.” Several councilors, members of parliament and senators have been
recalled including elected mayors and deputies of Harare City Council who were recalled at a time when the city and the
country at large are faced by cholera outbreaks, flash flooding in cities among other national crises. This leaves many duty
bearers to deal with perennial election processes neglecting the provision of services that promote the promotion and
protection of people’s fundamental rights.
Harrasment of women in politics
ZPP continues to monitor violations targeting women. On
4 December self-styled Citizens Coalition for Change
(CCC) interim secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu
insulted and accused former elected Masvingo Mayor
Shantel Chiwara as a “little girl” who only got that
position because was a girlfriend of a senior party
leader.
Tshabangu
made
such
defamatory
and
misogynistic remarks in an interview while justifying the
widespread recalls. ZPP notes with concern the use of
inflammatory language targeting women in politics which
also violates their right to human dignity. The systematic
use of hate language targeting women and women
human rights defenders should be condemned in the
strongest terms to increase the number of women
Masving Mayor, Shantel Chiwara
participating in civil and political processes.
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