admin
Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
President Mugabe has summoned Parliament for the official opening of the Second Session of the Eighth Parliament today, where he is expected to set the legislative agenda.
He summoned Parliament in a proclamation in the Government Gazette published last Friday. “Whereas it is provided by section 146 of the Constitution that “Each House of Parliament determines the time and duration of its sittings, other than its first sitting, and its periods of recess, but:
a) the President may summon Parliament at any time to conduct special business;
b) no more than 180 days may elapse between sittings off a House.”;
“And whereas it is expedient that Parliament should be summoned to meet: now therefore under and by virtue of the powers vested in the President as afore said and as resolved by Parliament, I do by this, my proclamation fix –
a) Parliament Building, Harare, as the place at which the official opening of the Second Session of the Eighth Parliament shall be held; and
b) 12 o’clock noon on Tuesday the 28th October 2014, as the time and date at which the Second Session of the Eighth Parliament shall begin,” President Mugabe said. Parliament has been on recess since last month when the First Session ended.
Zanu-PF Chief Whip Cde Joram Gumbo and his MDC-T counterpart Mr Innocent Gonese, have since said they expect Parliament to enact more laws after they passed fewer laws than expected in the previous session.
Some of the laws that were passed in the last session include the Electoral Act and the National Prosecuting Authority Act.
President Mugabe is expected to set the legislative agenda in his address amid expectations that Parliament should align laws with the new Constitution.
There are at least 400 laws that need alignment to the new Constitution and the delay in dealing with the problem has affected Government business.
Online Reporter