ZESN Position Paper on Constitutional Amendment Bill

The government is proposing to amend the Constitution and some of the proposed changes affect the conduct of elections. This is ZESN’s position paper concerning the proposed changes. While ZESN acknowledges that the Constitution is not set in stone, it encourages caution and restraint before changing it, particularly so not long after its adoption and before some parts have been implemented. ZESN urges a more consultative, cooperative and consensus-based approach and discourages unilateralism based on numerical superiority in parliament…more

How to Hold Elections Amid COVID-19

The world over, the outbreak of COVID-19 has had far reaching implications across many facets of life. Many countries have been forced to go on prolonged periods of lockdown interfering with the normal course of events. As a result, electoral processes have been rescheduled or postponed indefinitely in different countries across the globe. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which had indefinitely suspended all electoral activities, has since issued a statement indicating it would resume activities that do not violate lockdown measures using skeletal staff…more

Possible Electoral systems for Zimbabwe

A new constitution of Zimbabwe should include, among other things, the principles governing the systems of representation for the various elected bodies of the state. The electoral systems need to be balanced with specific functions given to each body. For example, a ceremonial head of state may be indirectly elected, whereas an executive head independent of parliament should be elected using a system of majority vote from the electorate (gathering as much support as possible from the voters)…………. : more

Voters’ Roll Observation Report

In democratic polities, voting is the supreme act of citizen participation in politics and its processes. In fact, voting is one of the ‘procedural minima’ of democracy. Granted there are numerous ways and methods of participation but voting is easily the most visible and one of the most effective methods of ‘speaking truth to power.’ The importance of elections in a democracy is seen through the opportunity citizens have to pick leaders of their choice to represent them in governance structures. Alexander Hamilton (1962), observed that “A share in the sovereignty of the state, which is exercised by the citizens at large in voting at elections, is one of the most important rights of the subject, and in a republic ought to stand foremost in the estimation of the law.”……….. : more

Summary Review of Zimbabwe’s Electoral Amendment Bill, 2011

The Parliament of Zimbabwe is attempting to make changes to the Electoral Act (Chapter 2:13). The Electoral Amendment Bill, 2001, currently before Parliament, seeks to make several changes to the existing law with a view to promoting free and fair elections. This document by ZESN seeks to explain the changes that have been proposed and make recommendations on how to improve the legal framework for lections in Zimbabwe. : more

FINAL REPORT:Shadowing the Constitution Outreach Process

“It is the fundamental right and duty of the Zimbabwean people to make a constitution by themselves and for themselves—and that the process must be owned and driven by the people and must be inclusive and democratic.” Article V1 of the Global Political Agreement The Global political agreement (GPA) signed in 2008 mandated the inclusive government to embark on a constitution reform process……….. : more