BALLOT News X “CONSTITUTIONAL Amendment Number 18: IMPACT ON THE PROPOSED 2008 Elections” By Takura Zhangazha T he words 'constitution' and 'elections' have become significant political constructs over the course of the last eight or so years in Zimbabwe's history. They have come to be informed by political actions that have, in part, been successful or of limited impact, depending on which side of the political divide one finds her/himself. The phrase 'elections' or 'general elections' invokes, within the political psyche of many a Zimbabwean citizen, memories and perceptions of violence, vote rigging, populism and patronage on the basis of onesided patriotism. This is because elections have become a flawed, but sort of permanent fixture, on the country's political landscape. The public anticipates elections, even though they may forget when these are due, or alternatively, are used to hearing of their announcements on a regular basis with the full knowledge that these will not add that much value to their lives, except, of course, those two significant elections that occurred in 2000. In the National Referendum on Constitution as well as the energies that accompanied the Parliamentary election of the same year, the public had a faith that possibly equalled that of 1980, faith that belied a belief that elections are the legitimate root of political change. Constitutional reform has also risen up the public consciousness ladder primarily because of the 'no vote' victory of 2000. What was apparent, and perhaps important, in the latter was the first national electoral defeat of Zanu PF since our country's independence. And it is this victory that gave people an understanding of the possibility of defeating Zanu PF through an electoral process. For the ruling party, however, it was a lesson well learnt and it went about tinkering with the constitution to enable its Issue No. 2 September 2007 'harmonisation' of the election of parliament and the executive, all within a fairly lethal cocktail of increases in the number of House of Assembly and Senate seats plus, most significantly, its incredible clause that seeks to allow a joint seating of Parliament to elect a head of state in between general elections. It would be immediately trite to say that there is no harmony in this political project, primarily because it has been proposed through an undemocratic framework. There is need to realise that the issue was promulgated within the confines of the ruling Zanu PF party at its Goromonzi annual conference. It is also important to note the manner in which the proposed constitutional amendment process completely ignores the historical processes aforementioned over and about constitutional reform. It is because of this that one would immediately recall the mantra of the National Constitutional Assembly, (NCA), that of a new Takura Zhangazha addressing a ZESN public meeting controversial land reform to go unchallenged as well as expand its basis of patronage by reintroducing a bicameral parliament. It is, thus, this background that brings us to the particular issue of Constitutional Amendment Bill Number 18, with its proposed constitution only through a people driven, democratic process. Through this article, I intend to highlight the political meaning of the proposed Bill. I intend to tackle the manner in which it raises a significant national 'Crossing the River Jordan' scenario' especially if elections are Continued on page 6 5 X