Donors Re-affirm Support for Constitutional Reform in Zimbabwe

HARARE – International donors supporting Zimbabwe’s troubled constitutional reform on Sunday said they were committed to see the process succeed, refuting weekend claims that they had suspended funding for the project.

The Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) last week postponed deployment of teams to carry out public consultations on the proposed new constitution and the state-controlled Sunday Mail weekly newspaper yesterday attributed the delay to withdrawal of financial support by donors allegedly because they had failed to directly influence the project.

But the European Union (EU) and Germany told ZimOnline that they remained committed to supporting all democratic reforms in Zimbabwe.

"We are still committed to supporting the constitution making process in Zimbabwe, together with the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and other donors,” said European Commission ambassador to Zimbabwe Xavier Marchal.

“It might be because they (COPAC) are facing their problems and now want to talk about donors' fatigue but no donor who had pledged has changed their mind as far as I know."

Asked whether they had suspended their support German deputy ambassador to Zimbabwe Matthias Schumacher said: "The answer is no. Germany hasn't stopped supporting the process. We deplore that they are having problems, but we hope they solve them. We remain committed to funding all democratic reforms in Zimbabwe."

Quoting COPAC co-chairman, Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana from President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party, the Sunday Mail said the donors’ decision was in apparent protest against their failure to directly influence the process after the select panel turned down their proposal to assist in developing talking points that will be used to solicit public opinion on the content of the new constitution

Constitutional Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga, said at the weekend that COPAC management committee – composed of him, COPAC’s three co-chairmen and negotiators of the global political agreement that set up the country’s power-sharing government – would meet on Tuesday to get the process back on track.

Postponement of the exercise to gather the views of citizens on the new constitution is likely to further delay the reforms that have already missed several targets.

The proposed new constitution is part of the requirements of a September 2008 power-sharing deal between Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara.

The new governance charter will pave way for free elections although there is no legal requirement for the unity government to call new polls immediately after a new constitution is in place.

Zimbabweans hope a new constitution will guarantee human rights, strengthen the role of Parliament and curtail the president's powers, as well as guaranteeing civil, political and media freedoms.

The new constitution will replace the current Lancaster House Constitution written in 1979 before independence from Britain. The charter has been amended 19 times since independence in 1980. Critics say the majority of the amendments have been to further entrench Mugabe and ZANU PF’s hold on power. – ZimOnline