On 12 Febraury, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) released its attached final simplified analysis of the Draft Constitution approved for referendum by the Parliament of Zimbabwe on Wednesday 6 February 2013.
Updating their previous analysis, which was circulated in September 2012, this final analysis provides information on the key provisions of each Chapter of the Draft Constitution in simplified form. Comments are made in relation to each Chapter – the black text indicates positive sections, while the blue text indicates areas which ZLHR believes remain problematic. In addition, the red text indicates changes which have been made to the Draft Constitution since the previous 2012 draft, either by COPAC or the principals to the Global Political Agreement. The text highlighted in yellow indicates whether the changes made are additions, removals or amendments to the previous draft.
It is clear from their analysis of the Draft Constitution that there are cogent arguments in favour of, and against, adoption of this document. This is a personal choice that needs to be made by an informed public which has had access to the Draft Constitution in a language of their choice, and a public which has been free to attend meetings and have access to a diverse range of information, views, and accurate analysis on the positive and negative aspects of the Draft.
ZLHR therefore provides its analysis in the public interest and calls for an open, vibrant and comprehensive sensitisation process, free from violence, and in which all views are respected and tolerated. This is in line with their unwavering belief in freedom of association, freedom of expression and access to diverse information that allows Zimbabweans to make informed choices on whether to accept or reject the Draft Constitution without fear of negative repercussions.
ZLHR Analysis of COPAC Draft Constitution (PDF, 300 KB)
Civil Society Monitoring Mechanism Press Statement (DOCX, 18KB)
