Zim set to endorse new constitution
2013-03-15 17:42
Special Report
Zimbabwe's Zanu-PF party is mulling over a special congress at which top vacant positions will be filled and the succession of President Robert Mugabe would be decided, according to a report.
Harare - Zimbabwe's political leaders are making their
final pitch to voters on Friday, on the eve of a constitutional referendum that
would guarantee democracy in future elections in the crisis-weary country.
If approved, the new supreme law will also clip many of
the presidential powers that veteran leader Robert Mugabe has enjoyed for
decades.
The constitution looks poised to be easily adopted,
laying the groundwork for watershed general elections that would end an often
acrimonious power-sharing deal between Mugabe and his nemesis Morgan
Tsvangirai.
Prime Minister Tsvangirai has been criss-crossing the
southern African nation to drum up support for the text, which took some three
years to compile, in what some saw as an extremely difficult environment.
He was Friday due to talk to church leaders.
His 89-year old rival Mugabe has left party officials to
run his low-key campaign, which is also in favour of the law.
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has
highlighted constitutional clauses guaranteeing protection against all forms of
violence, and free and fair voting.
MDC supporters have been on the receiving end of violence
blamed on activists of Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic
Front (Zanu-PF).
They have also lauded a provision that obliges police and
the military to be apolitical, raising the hopes of victims of past political
violence at the hands of the security forces.
"I'm hoping this new constitution will bring about
change, especially in the police force. The police used to behave as if they
were Zanu-PF youth activists," said 31-year-old Tendai Maritinyu, who
bears scars of a 2006 beating all over his body.
Maritinyu was also assaulted in 2010 during
constitutional consultative meetings that turned violent in Harare's oldest
township, Mbare. He had to flee his home to a safe house in a different part of
the city.
Sceptics
But others are sceptical that the adoption of the
constitution alone can really be a reason to celebrate, since laws are not
always respected in a country where security forces have impunity.
"It has been quiet so far because we are all
agreeing to vote 'yes'. But what will happen after the referendum is our
greatest fear. We are not settled because after the referendum, things might
hot up," said John Munikwa, 38, a father of four who also is a victim of
past violence.
Meanwhile Mugabe's Zanu-PF has focused on the
"irreversibility of the land reform" campaign and "economic
empowerment opportunities" among the reasons for pushing for a 'yes' vote.
With the main political rivals pressing for the adoption
of the text, the vote is likely to take place relatively peacefully.
The National Constitutional Assembly, a non-governmental
grouping, wants to see the new constitution rejected, arguing that the law if
anything grants Mugabe more unfettered powers than before.
Its bid to have the vote on the constitution postponed
fell apart when the Supreme Court this week upheld an earlier lower court
decision.
The basic law puts improvements in human rights to the
fore, with freedom of the press and gender equality. It also guarantees free,
fair and regular elections, and for citizens to freely make political choices.
But observers fear that the there will not be sufficient
time to apply all the necessary reforms to ensure that the political
environment is more healthy before the next general elections.
Authorities have targeted pro-democracy non-governmental
organisations in the run-up to Saturday's vote, arresting their leaders and
seizing equipment.
- AFP
