HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa has summoned Parliament to convene on Tuesday, June 30, a week ahead of its scheduled sitting, to consider and approve amendments made by the Senate to Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3.
The Senate has already passed the Constitutional Amendment Bill after introducing several amendments. Before the legislation can be presented to President Mnangagwa for assent and become law, the National Assembly must endorse the Senate’s changes.
One of the key amendments addresses a constitutional procedural gap created by the proposed new presidential succession framework. Under the current Constitution, the President is sworn into office following a general election and subsequently summons Parliament for its first sitting. However, under the proposed constitutional arrangement, Parliament would elect the President, creating a situation in which there would be no sitting President to convene Parliament’s inaugural session.
To resolve this anomaly, the Senate has amended the Bill to empower the Clerk of Parliament to summon the first sitting of Parliament following a general election, ensuring the presidential election process can proceed without constitutional uncertainty.
The Senate also revised provisions governing the assumption of office by an interim President. The amended clause stipulates that the Vice-President who most recently exercised the functions of President will serve as Acting President until Parliament elects a substantive President.
In addition, the amendments introduce a mandatory 14-day timeframe within which Parliament must hold its first sitting after a general election, providing greater certainty and predictability to the transition process.
The special parliamentary sitting is expected to conclude the legislative process for Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 before it is transmitted to the President for final assent.
