Story by Panashe Nagoli
THE Constitutional Amendment No.3 Bill has sailed through the National Assembly following a decisive vote that saw 216 Members of Parliament supporting the legislation, comfortably exceeding the required two-thirds majority threshold.
Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda confirmed the result after a formal division of the House, declaring the Bill duly passed at the third reading stage.
“After the count, 216 Honourable Members of Parliament voted in favour of the bill and 42 voted against meeting the constitutional requirement of a two-thirds majority for a third reading, and I declare that the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No.3 now be read the third time,” he said.
The parliamentary process, which began on February 16 when the Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill was gazetted, reached a decisive stage as the House concluded its final vote in the lower chamber.
The Speaker initiated a division of the House, separating Members of Parliament into those in support and those against the Bill. Several opposition legislators joined the supporting side, including CCC Chief Whip Honourable Charles Moyo.
Following the division, tellers were appointed from both sides to verify numbers through a physical count of Members of Parliament present in the chamber before voting results were confirmed.
The Bill passed with 216 votes in favour, surpassing the required 187 votes for a two-thirds majority.
Following the announcement of the result, the National Assembly was adjourned until 7 July 2026.
Speaking afterwards, Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Honourable Ziyambi Ziyambi, described the development as a historic and progressive moment in Zimbabwe’s democratic process.
“It is indeed a historic moment because no bill has been debated like this, and it’s surpassed the two-thirds majority requirement, and in terms of the opposition, it was really progressive because opposition is not supposed to just oppose for the sake of opposing, but rather this shows a maturing democracy,” he said.
Minister Ziyambi also noted that amendments were made during the committee stage following consultations, particularly on provisions relating to the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and the participation of traditional leaders in partisan politics.
“We listened to both the opposition and the ruling party in terms of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and the participation of traditional leaders in politics. It was clear that these clauses were unpopular and hence we saw it fit to withdraw them,” he said.
The Bill will now proceed to the Senate for further consideration. If it secures the required majority in the Upper House, it will be transmitted to the President for assent and subsequent enactment into law.
