LEGAL STATUS OF GONO’S SENATORIAL SEAT The swearing in of former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr Gideon Gono as a Senator hinges on the passage of the Electoral Amendment Bill that is before Parliament. Zanu-PF selected Dr Gono last year to replace national hero and former Manicaland Senator Cde Kumbirai Kangai who died in August 2013. In an interview yesterday, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Rita Makarau said they would be guided by the new electoral law which is before the House once it sails through. She said the law governing replacement of legislators expired in December after President Mugabe invoked Presidential powers (Temporary Measures) Act under which the harmonised elections were held on July 31, 2013. “We are waiting for the passage of that law,” said Justice Makarau. “We would not want to anticipate how it would be like in terms of its provision, but would be guided accordingly by it. “It would only be that when it has been passed we would know how to replace vacant seats relating to the party list system.” In terms of the electoral law promulgated through Presidential Powers that eventually expired in December after their mandatory six months, a party holding a Senate seat has the right to make replacement, but would be guided by the list that it would have submitted to ZEC. This applies to Senators and those that went through proportional representation. Cde Shadreck Chipanga was the next on the Zanu-PF Senate list for Manicaland, but the ruling party nominated Dr Gono to replace the late Cde Kumbirai Kangai as Senator for Buhera. Justice Makarau said the Bill before Parliament would spell out how the electoral body should deal with replacing deceased legislators, particularly those on the party list. The Electoral Amendment Bill is on Senate’s order paper waiting for debate.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 06:00:34 +0000