NCA calls for term limits for legislators

said they wanted legislators to be subjected to term limits just like the Office of the President.
He reiterated that the NCA would campaign for a “No” vote at the referendum.

Mr Chivasa said this during a live debate with Copac co-chairperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora on StarFM radio on Monday evening.

“The draft does not stipulate term of office of the same Members of Parliament. We have people who are perennial MPs. They have been MPs for the past 15 years. What we could have expected as NCA is that we were going to have a small Parliament with a clear mandate that an MP cannot exceed 10 years.
“It is apparently not the case with the Copac draft, the reason being that MPs are the ones who have been running the process,” he said.

However, Mr Mwonzora dismissed the claims saying the issue had not been raised during the outreach programme.

He said the draft constitution provided for a five-year-term limit but would be subject to re-election.
“This is common the world over. There is no constitution in the world that prescribes term limits for Members of Parliament. It has never happened. We write what the people of Zimbabwe said they want.
“There was no clamour from the people for limiting terms of office of Members of Parliament,” said Mr Mwonzora.

He said people only spoke about term limits for the President.
Mr Chivasa said the draft constitution created an all-powerful executive president, something the NCA did not approve.

However, Mr Mwonzora said the draft constitution provided for an executive president who was accountable to Cabinet and Parliament. He said it was important for a president to appoint ministers.
He also defended the provision for two vice presidents in the draft constitution.

Mr Mwonzora also said the draft constitution provided for Zimbabweans in the diaspora to vote, contrary to claims by Mr Chivasa that the draft constitution denied Zimbabweans their right to vote.
He, however, said at the moment it was not logistically possible for them to vote.

Mr Mwonzora defended the Copac draft saying it was founded on the views of the people compared to the NCA draft constitution that was written by a few individuals.