Zimbabwe Council Of Churches Denounces CCC Parliamentary Recalls

The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) has condemned the recalls on 15 CCC MPs saying it poses a threat to democracy and constitutionalism.

In a Pastoral Statement dated 13 October 2023 titled “Parliamentary Recalls: A Call for Responsible Leadership,” ZCC said political actors should respect voters who sacrificed their time on election day to elect their preferred candidates. Reads the statement:

The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) continues to journey with the nation towards a united, peaceful, just and prosperous nation, where all citizens experience holistic salvation.

In the aftermath of the 2023 elections, the Church has been closely monitoring developments in the nation and is deeply concerned with the emerging behaviors from Parliament, the random recalling of the 15 members of the Citizen Coalition for Change Party.

The process places a serious dent in the nation’s drive for development under the 10th Parliament. The Church is deeply concerned that:

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• The recalls of the CCC Parliamentarians place a wedge between political actors and their supporters, hence further perpetuating the deep polarization and divisions that have characterized our nation before and after the August 2023 elections. The country is still recovering from the disputed 2023 election processes, outcomes and results. The recalls will relapse the country into partisan discourse instead of healing and uniting the nation towards a common vision.
• Whilst the move to recall MPs was initiated by political actors, it disrespects the will of the electorate who sacrificed their time on election day to cast their vote and select the leaders they want. These recalls strongly send signals that political actors are power-focused and do not consider the will of Zimbabweans who vote, thus undermining the significance of elections as a process that portrays the will of the people.
• Given the fragile political landscape, the recalls could be interpreted as a deliberate move to silence and dismantle opposition alternative voices leading the country towards a one-party state which is a violation of the 2013 Constitution (Section 3(2)(a) and Section 67 (4)).

• The recalls pose a threat to democracy as this could lead to consolidation of power which contradicts the key democratic tenets.
• The recalling of MPs creates a vacuum in the lower house which ultimately affects the legislative quality and capacity. The legal agenda presented in the State of the Nation Address by His Excellency, President E.D Mnangagwa, revealed that there will be critical bills to be reviewed hence the recalls weaken the quality of laws that will be passed during the period.
• By law, the recalled MPs and councilors require replacements through by-elections. This implies that the country will continue to be gripped and fixated on election mode. Instead of focusing on nation-building and economic development in the post-2023 elections, Zimbabwe’s development will remain stunted affecting the country’s capacity to support the poor and vulnerable.
• Elections have a heavy fiscal strain on the limited resources that can be directed towards developmental programs. The 2023 elections revealed that the limited fiscal resources have a huge bearing on the logistical capacity of the Electoral Management Board, ZEC, to conduct elections. The possibility of holding by-elections against the background of constrained fiscal resources raises questions on the capacity of ZEC to conduct such elections in a credible, free and fair manner, especially as we are a few months if not weeks away from our harmonised elections.
• The Church has noted the alleged manner in which the Speaker of Parliament has handled the recall process, that is, the recognition of a letter from the interim CCC spokesperson yet disregarding the communique from the CCC President. This allegation taints and validates the long-standing assertion of unfair practices in our strategic state institutions.
• The country is hurting and trying to recover from allegations of the use of loopholes and the application of law to shrink the democratic space. Thus, this unfolding incident will buttress the assertions of captured institutions. This is a serious dent in the drive for re-engagement which His Excellency is leading and will undoubtedly distract the country from focusing on national development as all efforts are redirected to politics and by-elections.

In view of the above, the ZCC:

• Reiterates the prophetic call for dialogue towards disentangling the country from the election mode and finding a path to a collectively defined future; building unity, shared national values and vision; inclusive and shared economic prosperity; healing, justice and peace; and entrenchment of constitutional democracy,
• Calls for the review and repeal of section 129 (1)(k) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which has been widely abused to disempower the electorate and resulted in significant waste of resources through by-elections,
• Calls its Member Churches and the broader Christian community in the nation and beyond to continue preaching the message of love, hope and compassion that was demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ which surpasses all the prevailing challenges that the country is going through,
• Appeal to all Zimbabweans in the country and beyond to remain calm and to offer prayers and supplication,
• Political leaders to be guided by the biblical teaching of Philippians 2 vs 3 which calls on people to do nothing out of strife and vainglory but to be humble and to esteem others better than themselves. This is what characterizes responsible leadership.

More: Pindula News