Constitution will be ready by year-end
By Editor
Friday, 22 July 2011 15:32
HARARE – A committee leading the crafting of the country’s new constitution
has told visiting South African talks facilitators that the final draft will
only be ready by year-end, putting to rest misleading claims by Zanu PF that
polls will go ahead this year.
President Robert Mugabe last week said his party’s politburo had decided to
expedite the completion of the constitution-making process to ensure
elections were held this year without fail.
But Constitution Parliamentary Committee (Copac) leaders from Zanu PF and
the two MDC formations effectively poured cold water on the push for 2011
polls when meeting the SA facilitators yesterday.
The facilitators, representing Sadc appointed mediator to the Zimbabwe
political stalemate President Jacob Zuma, are in Harare as part of
consultations aimed at tying up a roadmap for the country’s elections ahead
of the regional summit scheduled for Luanda, Angola next month.
Copac co-chair Douglas Mwonzora confirmed to the Daily News that although
the committee was yet to work out definitive timelines, it was almost
certain that a final draft would not be ready before the end of December.
Copac had initially set September as the deadline for the production of a
draft, to be followed by a referendum. But the game plan has shifted because
of constant failure to meet deadlines due to political bickering and
underfunding.
He said this had been made clear to Zuma’s envoys.
“Copac had been instructed to work out timelines for the completion of the
constitution but it has not yet completed working on the timelines. But
assuming that Copac is going to resume on August 1, it means if you impose
the critical timelines, it will push the referendum date from 30 September
to end of the year,” Mwonzora said.