No Party Must Get Two-thirds Majority In Parliament - Advocate Mpofu
Harare-based lawyer and constitutional law expert, Thabani Mpofu, says it would be ideal if no single party attains a two-thirds majority in parliament in the 2023 general elections as this will promote consensus-building.
Mpofu became a household name in 2018 when he represented MDC Alliance presidential candidate, Nelson Chamisa at the Constitutional Court.
Chamisa had challenged the presidential election results as announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) but lost the case due to a lack of evidence, according to the ConCourt bench.
Posting on Twitter, Mpofu urged the opposition to devise strategies to counter possible gerrymandering by ZEC during the delimitation exercise.
Gerrymandering is the manipulation of boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favour one party or class. Wrote Mpofu:
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S37A of the Electoral Act deals with the delimitation of constituencies. For purposes of Parliamentary elections, this is one of the most significant processes that must take place before the watershed 2023 elections.
Before fixing the electoral boundaries, ZEC must publish its intention to do so. It must receive representations from the citizens on the matter.
Given that ZEC has discretion over the issue, don’t count on it doing anything reasonable. But don’t despair
Strategies must be built around the boundaries to be drawn by ZEC. I believe those other ones have already done their homework and the boundaries will largely favour them.
Don’t cry about this in the aftermath. Strategize to counter any gerrymandering. Lemon to lemonade.
Successful strategies in counter, as opposed to popularity, will determine whether or not CCC controls parliament.
Whatever happens, no one must get a two-thirds majority. Post-change, we still need a fair measure of consensus. That’s how Zimbabwe will be built from its ruins.
