Fortifying Zimbabwe’s ‘Imperial’ Presidency? The Proposed Second Amendment to the Constitution
The ruling ZANU-PF party seeks to cancel, through amendments, key concessions made during the negotiated 2013 constitutional reform process. The proposals to empower the President in the appointment of key executive, judicial and other independent officers, blandished with token advancements in women and youth representation, raise issues of effective mechanisms to ensure sustainability of negotiated constitutional outcomes in the face of resurgent dominant majorities . On 31 December 2019, the Government of Zimbabwe published the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 2) Bill , an omnibus bill containing a raft of changes ranging from the appointment process of judges to the composition of Cabinet and Parliament. Constitutional amendments require approval by two-thirds of each house of Parliament , which ZANU PF can muster without reaching out to the opposition. This drastically reduces the possibility of securing concessions and compromises. Criticism of th...