constituteproject.org PDF generated: 26 Sep 2013, 21:48 136 Persons presiding in Parliament (1) The person presiding at any sitting of the Senate must be-(a) the President of the Senate or, in his or her absence, the Deputy President of the Senate; or (b) in the absence of the President and Deputy President of the Senate, a Senator elected for the purpose by the Senate, but that Senator must not be a Minister or Deputy Minister. (2) The person presiding at any sitting of the National Assembly must be-(a) the Speaker or, in his or her absence, the Deputy Speaker; or (b) in the absence of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, a Member of the National Assembly elected for the purpose by the National Assembly, but that Member must not be a Minister or Deputy Minister. (3) The Speaker, or in his or her absence the President of the Senate, must preside at any joint sitting of the National Assembly and the Senate. 137 Quorum in Parliament The Senate and the National Assembly must prescribe in Standing Orders the minimum number of Members who must be present for the conduct of business. 138 Voting and right of audience in Parliament (1) Except where this Constitution provides otherwise-(a) all questions proposed for decision in either House of Parliament are decided by a majority of the votes of the Members of that House present and voting; (b) the person presiding in either House of Parliament does not have either a deliberative or a casting vote on any issue before the House; (c) if the votes in either House of Parliament are equally divided on any motion, the motion is lost. (2) Vice-Presidents are entitled to sit and speak, but not vote, in both Houses of Parliament. (3) Ministers and Deputy Ministers are entitled to sit and speak in both Houses of Parliament but have no right to vote in a House of which they are not Members. (4) Members of the Parliamentary Legal Committee and any other joint committee of Parliament are entitled to sit and speak in either House of Parliament for the purpose of introducing or debating any report of that committee which is before the House, but have no right to vote in a House of which they are not Members. (5) Where a Member of Parliament, other than a Minister or Deputy Minister, has introduced a Bill in the House of which he or she is a Member, and the House has passed the Bill, that Member or, in his or her absence, any other Member of that House is entitled to sit and speak in the other House for the purpose of conducting the Bill through that other House, but has no right to vote in that other House. Zimbabwe 2013 Page 58