Parliament has received an overwhelming number of public submissions on the controversial Constitutional Amendment Bill, with officials saying the response from citizens has been unprecedented as the legislative process moves into the next phase.
Speaking on Wednesday, Clerk of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda said officials were still processing submissions that continued to arrive until midnight on the final day of the consultation period.
“We’ve never received submissions like this, and we’re very grateful to the citizens of Zimbabwe,” Chokuda said.
“The participation from the public has been very overwhelming.”
The remarks come amid intense public scrutiny over the proposed constitutional amendments, which have sparked debate among political parties, civic society organisations and constitutional law experts.
Chokuda said Parliament was now analysing every submission received from the public before relevant committees consolidate the views into reports that will later be tabled during the second reading stage of the bill.
“The committees will be sitting to look at those submissions and to categorise them in terms of how they are coming from the public,” he said.
He explained that after the expiry of the mandatory 90-day period, the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs would formally introduce the bill in Parliament through the first reading stage, which is largely procedural and does not involve debate.
“The substantive debate happens at the second reading stage, where the minister will go into details in terms of motivating the bill and explaining the bill to members of Parliament,” Chokuda said.
At that stage, the chairperson of the relevant parliamentary committee will also present findings from the public consultations together with recommendations made by the committee before MPs debate the proposed law.
Chokuda noted that unlike ordinary bills, constitutional amendment bills are not referred to parliamentary committees after the first reading because committees are already involved during the public consultation process.
He said Parliament would later move to the committee stage where legislators examine the bill clause-by-clause and propose amendments if necessary before it proceeds to the third reading and is transmitted to the other House.
The Constitutional Amendment Bill has generated significant public interest amid concerns from critics over proposed changes to governance structures and constitutional provisions.
