By Kwedu News
In terms of section 118 of the Constitution, Zimbabwe has a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the National Assembly.
THE SENATE
(1)The Senate consists of eighty [80] Senators, of whom—
(a)six are elected from each of the [10] provinces into which Zimbabwe is divided, by a system of proportional representation conforming with subsection (2);
(b)sixteen [16] are [Traditional] Chiefs, of whom two are elected by the provincial assembly of Chiefs from each of the provinces, other than the metropolitan provinces, into which Zimbabwe is divided;
(c)the President and Deputy President of the National Council of Chiefs; and
(d)two are elected in the manner prescribed in the Electoral Law to represent persons [living] with disabilities.
(2)Elections of Senators must be conducted in accordance with the Electoral Law, which must ensure that the Senators referred to in subsection (1)(a) are elected under a party-list system of proportional representation—
(a)which is based on the votes cast for candidates representing political parties in each of the provinces in the general election for Members of the National Assembly; and
(b) in which male and female candidates are listed alternately, every list being headed by a female candidate
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
(1)The National Assembly consists of—
(a)two hundred and ten [210] members elected by secret ballot from the two hundred and ten constituencies into which Zimbabwe is divided; and
(b)for the life of the first four Parliaments after the effective date [May 2013], an additional sixty [60] women members, six [6]from each of the [10] provinces into which Zimbabwe is divided, elected under a party-list system of proportional representation based on the votes cast for candidates representing political parties in a general election for constituency members in the provinces;
(c)a further additional ten [10] youth members, that is, persons aged from twenty-one [21]to thirty-five years [35]of age, one from each of the [10]provinces into which Zimbabwe is divided, elected under a party-list system of proportional representation—
(i)which is based on the votes cast for candidates representing political parties in a general election for constituency members in the [10] provinces; and
(ii) in which male and female candidates are listed alternately:
Provided that political parties must ensure that—
(a)ten [10] of the sixty [60]women members are under the age of thirty-five [35];
(b)women with disabilities are represented on their party lists; and
(c)young women with disabilities are represented on their party lists in terms of an Act of Parliament.
(2)Elections of Members of the National Assembly must be conducted in accordance with the Electoral Law.
(3)The qualifications for registration as a voter and for voting at elections of Members of the National Assembly are set out in the Fourth Schedule [of the Constitution].
Taken as a whole, there are 350 Members of Parliament, that is 270 Members of the National Assembly plus 80 Senators.
THE TWO THIRDS THRESHOLDS IN PARLIAMENT
The threshold of two thirds majority in the National Assembly is 180 members, and in the Senate it is 53 Senators while, all told and only for the fun of it, the threshold of two thirds majority in Parliament as a whole is 233 Honourable Members.
Whereas the two thirds threshold of the 210 constituency to which Zimbabwe is divided in terms of section 160(1) is 140 constituencies, this threshold is not enough for determining the two thirds threshold of the lower house of Parliament given that its total membership is 270 members.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Senate and the National Assembly votes on the basis of its own threshold, respectively, which is 53 for the former and 180 for the later!
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