Govt Is Working On Laws To Create “Office of the Leader of the Opposition”, It's Not About Chamisa - George Charamba

Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet for Presidential Communications, George Charamba has said that the government is working on creating and adjusting laws to create the “Office of the Leader of the Opposition”. Charamba also refuted reports that the creation of the office is meant to appease MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa. This comes after President Emmerson Mnangagwa told Bloomberg television that he plans to adopt the Commonwealth parliamentary democracy system in which the leader of the opposition is formally recognised and gets a salary from the government.

In an interview with Capitalk FM on Wednesday, Charamba said,

…we have to make sure that the laws accommodate office of the leader of the opposition. So, there has to be some legal adjustments. Two, we have to make sure that we have to create the office which means administratively and institutionally we have to create an office which will then be occupied by the leader of the opposition and I am not talking of an individual, I am talking of the institution of the opposition.

…This facility is meant to accommodate any opposition leader who emerges as a result of a certain electoral outcome. In other words, we are talking about a template of bringing the opposition and not necessarily an individual and I noticed back home the debate has boiled down to prospects for accommodation of an individual. That’s not it…So really, we are not preoccupied by the disposition of the opposition leader as a person. We are interested in building institutions for the Second Republic.

Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi has already said that the Constitution would need to be amended if Chamisa accepts Mnangagwa’s offer.

Related:

• Chamisa Rejects Mnangagwa’s Compromise Deal, Says He Will Not Be Bribed

• Mnangagwa Confirms Compromise Deal To Formally Recognise Chamisa As Leader Of Opposition With State Pay and Perks

• MDC Alliance Divided Over Mnangagwa’s Offer To Formally Recognise Chamisa As Opposition Leader

• EU, UK Try To Broker Compromise Deal, Opposition To Be Offered Formal Position In Parly Including Pay

• Don’t Be Misled, There Has Been No Offer Or Contact From Mnangagwa – Chamisa

• Constitution Would Need To Be Amended If Chamisa Accepts Mnangagwa’s Offer – Justice Minister

More: Herald