ZLHR Launches Analysis Of COPAC Draft Constitution ahead of Second All
Stakeholders Conference
The analysis provides an overview of each Chapter of the proposed
Constitution together with a commentary of what is progressive (highlighted
in normal text) and issues which remain problematic (highlighted blue text).
The Zimbabwean UK
by ZLHR
As the country moves towards the 2nd All-Stakeholders’ Conference and a
possible constitutional referendum, it is necessary for all Zimbabweans to
personally educate themselves on the content put forward by those involved
in the current constitution-making process in order to make their own
decision on whether the COPAC Draft is better than the current constitution,
whether it requires further improvement, and whether it is likely to
positively impact on the country moving forward.
ZLHR notes that a constitution cannot make a positive impact on society in
and of itself. It requires a population that is willing to protect its
provisions, as well as a government and state institutions and actors who
are committed to the principle of constitutionalism and who are willing to
make themselves subservient to the provisions of the constitution as an
expression of the will of the people. As such, even a perfect Constitution
will be meaningless if there is no political will to comply with its ethos,
provisions and safeguards.
ZLHR encourages all Zimbabweans to take time to read and understand the full
COPAC Draft Constitution, this summary and other opinions relating to it, in
order to decide whether to further amend it, and ultimately support or
reject it. The analysis can also be accessed on our website www.zlhr.org.zw