Staff ReporterHarare, Zimbabwe – Parliamentarians will come together on Friday for an extraordinary virtual session to conduct special business relating to the preliminary delimitation report. A few members are expected to attend physically, but the majority will participate online due to ongoing accommodation challenges in Harare.
Last week, President Mnangagwa received a copy of the report from the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, Justice Priscilla Chigumba. According to the Constitution, once the report has been presented to the President, it must be tabled before Parliament within seven working days. Parliament then has 14 sitting days to debate the report once it has been tabled in the National Assembly.
In a statement, Parliament notified legislators of the extraordinary meeting, stating: “In terms of Section 110 (2) (c), His Excellency, the President Dr ED Mnangagwa has summoned Parliament to an extraordinary sitting to conduct special business relating to the preliminary delimitation report on Friday 6th January 2023 at 9.00am.” Members have been advised to attend virtually, with login details to be shared in due course. Physical attendance will be by invitation only, with members informed by the Chief Whips.
The National Assembly was originally scheduled to resume on January 24, with the Senate set to follow on January 31. However, the extraordinary session on Friday will take precedence over these planned meetings. It is unclear at this time what action Parliament will take on the preliminary delimitation report once it has been debated.