House adjourns without debating crucial amendments to electoral law

The House of Assembly yesterday adjourned to Tuesday next week, 25 June, without debating the amendments to the electoral law necessary to align the coming elections to the new constitution.

Parliament now only has three more sittings excluding 28 June which was set as the nomination day for the coming elections by President Robert Mugabe.

Parliament was asked by the Southern African Development Community to debate the amendments on Tuesday, 18 June, but it did not do so. The amendments were passed by decree by Mugabe but SADC wanted this rectified.

The amendments are part of the reforms required to hold the next elections yet debate on the issue has been sidelined with people fixed on the election date.

Electoral Commission chief Rita Makarau said on Monday that she was ready for the elections and until she was told otherwise she was working on holding the elections on 31 July.

Constitutional Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga told the House on Tuesday that there were discussions going on behind the scenes and legislators would know the way forward by Wednesday morning.

The House only sat for 15 minutes.

There was no mention of the outcome of the discussions behind the scenes when Parliament resumed on Wednesday. Instead of debating the amendments the sitting was dominated by a question-and-answer session with most of the questions directed at Energy Minister Elton Mangoma.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti brought an urgent bill- the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Bill- which he said must be passed urgently otherwise Zimbabwe’s trading partners would instruct their financial institutions to restrict dealings with Zimbabwe.

It was not clear why the Money Laundering Bill had suddenly become more important than paving the way for elections which are just over a month away, especially in view of the fact that no one seems to be willing to give money to Zimbabwe to hold its elections.

Biti himself told the House that the country no longer had any functional government, as people were now geared on the elections, and blamed Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa and Mines Minister Obert Mpofu of blocking his efforts to get money for elections.

The House had to suspend all committee meetings because of lack of quorums. The chief whips of the three parties in government said their parties were too busy with primary elections.

The House adjourned on Wednesday after one hour and 10 minutes.

Yesterday the house met for 50 minutes but there was, once again, no debate on the issue. Instead it discussed the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Bill which was brought for the second reading.

The House is not sitting today. But time is ticking. Parliament will officially be dissolved next Friday, 28 June when its five-year-term ends.

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