By Staff Writer
THE Crisis In Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) has criticised calls within the ruling party circles to push for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s third term of office.
This is despite the current Constitutional provisions stipulating a strict two terms in office.
In a statement commemorating the 11th anniversary of the Zimbabweans Constitution, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition said the proposals are detrimental to democracy and erode the gains made in ushering in the Constitution.
“Lately, calls by the ruling party to push for amendments that will remove the two-term presidential limits and allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to run for a third term are illegal and unfortunate and derail the gains made since the adoption of the constitution.
“These amendments, which also seek to introduce draconian legislation and further close the democratic and civic space are stripping Zimbabweans of their fundamental rights and derailing the progress made since the constitution was first established.
“The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition reiterates that a constitution should be a sacred, living and binding document regardless of who is in power. Tampering with the constitution by political elites to serve personal interests erodes democratic values and signals a betrayal of the constitution which was overwhelmingly voted for by the citizens of Zimbabwe,” read the statement.
“The constitution of Zimbabwe should not in any way be abused for personal interests as it is meant to protect democratic values and guarantee accountable governance,” said CiZC.
Added CiZC, “The democratic and civic space in Zimbabwe continues to shrink and there has been little or no political will on the part of the government and the ruling party to implement the constitution in a way that promotes democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
“Since 2013, very few laws have been fully aligned to the Constitution and instead, we continue to witness numerous amendments to the Constitution which do not conform to the principles of democracy and good governance”.
