Story by Panashe Nagoli
THE National Assembly is set to reconvene to consider amendments made by the Senate after the Constitutional Amendment Number Three (CAB3) Bill sailed through the Upper House on Wednesday with at least six amendments.
The Bill received overwhelming support in the Senate, with 75 Senators voting in favour of the proposed constitutional changes.
Following its passage with amendments, the Bill will now return to the National Assembly for consideration of the changes proposed by the Upper House before it can proceed to the next stage of the legislative process.
Speaking after the Senate vote, the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Honourable Ziyambi Ziyambi, said the Senate had played its constitutional role by scrutinising and refining the proposed law.
“This House was not just a rubber-stamping House. They picked issues from the National Assembly and we corrected them. We had omitted the procedure for the first sitting of Parliament after an election and other consequential changes that the Senate felt needed attention,” said Minister Ziyambi.
He outlined the next steps for the Bill, noting that the amendments would be transmitted to the National Assembly for deliberation.
“We are going to take the amendments by the Senate to the National Assembly to deliberate on the amendments proposed by the Senate. After consideration, the Bill will be transmitted to His Excellency the President for assent,” he said.
The Senate vote comes barely a week after the Bill sailed through the National Assembly, where 216 legislators voted in favour of the proposed constitutional amendments.
