Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum president to dissolve Parliament and declare a state of emergency during which some fundamental rights would effectively be suspended. Many commentators thought these proposals, which tipped the balance of power further toward the executive, led to the rejection of the draft. These proposals included: (1) electing an executive president as head of state, with the sole power to appoint a ceremonial prime minister accountable to the president and unable to appoint his/her own ministers (who would be appointed by the president); (2) extending presidential influence over the appointment of civil servants, military commanders, police and prison commissioners, and judges (particularly to the proposed Constitutional Court) through his/her control of appointments to the various proposed Services Commissions, and through the continuing presidential appointment of the Attorney-General as a member of Cabinet; (3) extending presidential control over elections to the legislature, by his/her direct appointments to the proposed Electoral Commission; (4) allowing the incumbent president to stand for another two terms, with no upper age limit on any president. All of these proposals contradicted what Zimbabweans told the Constitutional Commission they wanted. What they wanted included: a ceremonial president with no immunity from prosecution; an executive prime minister accountable to Parliament and presiding over a small cabinet; parliamentary control of the executive; a prohibition on the existing incumbent running again for the (ceremonial) presidency and a strict limit of two terms for future incumbents; a completely independent judiciary, Electoral Supervisory Commission and media; a completely enforceable declaration of fundamental rights, including equality before the law for all persons; and a small and inexpensive legislature elected by proportional representation. Notes vii Parliamentary Debates 25,65: cols. 4699-4708. The Standard 2 May 1999. ix Daily News 15.9.99. x Daily News 15.9.99; Sunday Mail 24.10.99. xi Financial Gazette 28.10.99. He then asserted that he had been quoted out of context. In response, the Financial Gazette ran a complete transcript of their interview with him (4.11.99). xii Financial Gazette 18.11.99; Standard 21.11.99. xiii Zimbabwe Independent 27.8.99, 10.9.99. Zimbabwe Independent 27.8.99, 10.9.99. xiv Zimbabwe Independent 26.11.99. xv Heneri Dzinotyiwei of the Zimbabwe Integrated Programme. xvi SI 405C/1999. xvii Daily News 8.11.99, 20.12.99. xviii Daily News 12.1.00. xix Draft New Constitution: The Full Text, as published by The Herald, 1 December 1999. xx The threat in the original clause, to seize land without compensation if Britain refused to pay, was publicly protested by the Commercial Farmers Union in a full-page reproduction of their letter dated 18 January to the CC chairman, Justice Chidyausiku (Daily News 7.2.00). xxi Eg Jonathan Moyo and Ben Hlatswayo in almost every weekly paper; Amy Tsanga, ‘Why women should vote yes’, Sunday Mail 30.1.00, pp. 14,17. viii 15