CHAPTER 6 THE EXECUTIVE 79. Executive Authority The executive authority of Zimbabwe vests in the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. 80. Election of Prime Minister1 (1) The Prime Minister will be elected directly by voters in the same general election where other members of the National Assembly are elected. (2) A person will be qualified for election as Prime Minister if he/she qualifies for election as a member of the National Assembly in terms of section 59. 81. Assumption of office by Prime Minister (1) Before taking office, and within five days of being elected, the Prime Minister must assume office by swearing or affirming faithfulness to Zimbabwe and obedience to the Constitution. (2) The oath or affirmation is in the form set out in the First Schedule and must be administered by the President. 82. Term of office of Prime Minister No person may hold office as Prime Minister for an aggregate period of more than ten years. 83. Functions and powers of Prime Minister (1) The Prime Minister is head of government and is responsible for: (a) (b) appointing Ministers and assigning functions to them chairing Cabinet meetings 1 The view that the Prime Minister be directly elected by the people was overwhelming, not only at the 2nd All Stakeholders Conference of 1 December 2001, but also in most public and door to door meetings conducted by stakeholders. However, this presents fundamental problems in constitutional practice because it is difficult to fit such a Prime Minister into a system of a parliamentary executive. This final draft has accommodated the peoples wish for a directly elected Prime Minister but still ensures that apart from this factor of being directly elected, the Prime Minister still retains all other features of a parliamentary system of government' 42