ERC Petition to Parliament for Electoral Law Reform

 

PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE

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FORM OF PETITION

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TO THE HONOURABLE THE SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED

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THIRD SESSION – EIGHTH PARLIAMENT

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PRESENTED TO PARLIAMENT ON 22 SEPTEMBER 2015

 

 

The Petition of the Undersigned:

Election Resource Centre (ERC) of 3 Tonbridge Way, Groombridge, Harare, whose members are the following:

Kucaca Phulu; Francis Muzeya; Samukeliso Khumalo; Rev. Useni Sibanda; Bishop Sebastian Bakare; Belinda Musanhu; Gertrude Chimange and Trust Maanda

The ERC, having consulted its partners in civil society, is supported in this petition by the following civil society organisations:

Veritas, Zimbabwe Democracy Institute (ZDI), Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA),   Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU), Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), Nhimbe Trust, South Western Region Gender Network,  Women's Institute for Leadership , Plumtree Development Trust, Mission to Live Trust, Habakkuk Trust, Zimbabwe Chamber for Informal Economy Association (ZCIEA), Public Policy Research Institute of Zimbabwe (PRIZ), Makokoba Development Trust (MDT), Rural Communities Empowerment Trust (RUCET) and Abammeli Human Rights Trust.

Respectfully shows-

That Your Petitioners:

Being citizens of Zimbabwe;

And whose Funding Method is: donor funding from various organisations;

COGNISANT that the Parliament of Zimbabwe is mandated by the Constitution of Zimbabwe to, inter alia, protect the Constitution and promote democratic governance in Zimbabwe;

Parliament or the Speaker must ensure they take into account the role of the public and civil society in the legislative process relating to electoral reform, as specifically protected by the Constitution in Sections 139 (f) and 141.

CONCERNED at the processes and pace and substantive content of electoral legal reform being implemented since the promulgation of the new Constitution in May 2013;

COGNISANT of the shortcomings in the country’s Electoral Law and its misalignment with the Constitution of Zimbabwe;

ALARMED by the administrative lethargy in Government and the piecemeal approach to the review of the Electoral Law;

DESIROUS of seeing electoral law reform that ensures that Zimbabwean Electoral Law conforms to international and regional standards, norms and principles:

NOW THEREFORE the petitioners beseech the Parliament of Zimbabwe to implore the Executive to uphold the Constitution by ensuring that Zimbabwe’s Electoral Law is reviewed in compliance not only with their undertakings, but also with the provisions of the Constitution and that a legal framework is put in place that guarantees an undisputed electoral process.

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