Maravi

ZANU-PF set to regain majority in Parliament

ZANU-PF set to regain majority in Parliament
Written by Kingsley Kaswende in Harare, Zimbabwe
Friday, July 24, 2009 3:18:56 PM

ZANU-PF is set to regain a temporary majority in Parliament, as the MDC's number of legislators is diminishing from a string of criminal convictions. So far, five MPs from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC faction have been banished from parliament while five more are still being investigated. The smaller MDC faction, led by Prof Arthur Mutambara, has also expelled three MPs who have since been banished from the House.

In elections last year, Tsvangirai's MDC overturned ZANU-PF's majority in parliament for the first time since independence from colonial rule in 1980. The party won 100 seats to ZANU-PF's 99. Prof Mutambara's faction won 10 seats, and the 210th seat in the lower House of Assembly is occupied by Prof Jonathan Moyo, an independent.

The fifth MDC MP, Ernest Mudavanhu (Zaka North Cosntituency) was on Tuesday handed a two-year jail term after he was convicted of corruption after he pocketed proceeds from sales of fertiliser he was supposed to distribute to his constituents.

He will serve a year in jail after Harare magistrate Olivia Mariga suspended a year of the sentence - six months for good behaviour and six months on condition he repays US$15,135 restitution.

Section 42 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe says upon the sentencing of a legislator to death or a jail term of six months or more, “such member shall cease forthwith to exercise his functions … and his seat shall become vacant at the expiration of 30 days from the date of such sentence”.

The Clerk of Parliament, Austin Zvoma, last week suspended Chipinge East MP Matthias Mlambo after he was recently sentenced to 10 months in prison by a Chipinge magistrate, on charges of public violence. The following day, Zvoma also suspended Mutare West MP, Shuah Mudiwa, following his recent sentence of seven years imprisonment on a charge of kidnapping a 12-year old girl. Both MPs have since appealed against their sentences and are out of prison.

Five more MDC-Tswangirai MPs face similar accusations of abusing the farm inputs programme. They are Hega Shoko (Bikita West), Edmore Marima (Bikita East), Tichaona Maradza (Masvingo West), Hamandishe Maramwidze (Gutu North) and Ramsome Makamure (Gutu East). Blessing Chebundo (Kwekwe Central) faces allegations of raping a minor.

In a statement, the MDC said Tsvangirai's MDC stated that it was concerned by the continued persecution of its MPs, officials and party activists.

“The plot to convict the MPs is a well orchestrated plan by ZANU PF and other mischievous conspirators in the inclusive government to decimate the party's majority in parliament," the party's secretary for legal and parliamentary affairs Innocent Gonese stated.

Prof Mutambara's MDC faction expelled three MPs last week and cautioned a fourth after a disciplinary hearing that was held earlier this month.

Abednico Bhebhe (Nkayi South), Njabuliso Mguni (Lupane East) and Norman Mpofu (Bulilima East) ceased to be MPs when the party informed the Clerk of Parliament of its decision.

A fourth MP, Maxwell Dube (Tsholotsho South), was found guilty of a lesser charge and got away with a ticking off, the party's disciplinary committee chairman Lyson Mlambo said in a statement.

The move leaves the faction with seven MPs.

However, the MDC factions will retain their numbers, as ZANU-PF cannot contest these seats when by-elections are called.

A power sharing agreement signed between the two rival MDC factions and President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party states that if any of the signatories to the agreement wishes to recall an MP, it can do so without facing a challenge from the other parties to the agreement.

That, in effect, will allow the two parties to cause by-elections to replace the MPs in which ZANU-PF will not participate.

Other political parties not party to the political agreement may contest and the deposed legislators can still run for re-election as members of another party or as independents.

Labels: PARLIAMENT, ZANU-PF

posted by MrK @ 2:19 PM