Former Cabinet Minister and political scientist Professor Jonathan Moyo has weighed in on the debate surrounding Zimbabwe’s proposed constitutional amendments, offering a historical and regional perspective on how presidents are elected.
In a recent statement titled “Presidential Election Titbits,” Prof. Moyo broke down complex electoral history to explain that direct voting for a president is not the only system Zimbabwe has known, nor is it the only system used in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
A Look Back at Zimbabwe’s History
Prof. Moyo reminded the public that for the first decade of Zimbabwe’s independence—between 1980 and 1990—the head of the executive was not directly elected by the public.
He clarified that the system of directly voting for a President was only introduced in 1990. This change came about through Constitutional Amendment No. 7 (Act 23 of 1987), which officially inaugurated the “Executive Presidency” system currently in use. His point highlights that the proposed shift away from direct elections would, in some ways, mirror the country’s earlier governance structure.
The Angolan Model
Expanding his analysis to the broader region, Prof. Moyo cited Angola as a prime example of a SADC nation that uses an indirect election system.
He explained that under Angola’s 2010 Constitution, voters do not cast a ballot for a president. Instead, they elect members of the National Assembly (Parliament). The individual who sits at the top of the candidate list for the political party that wins the most parliamentary seats automatically becomes the President.
Moyo noted that the last time Angola held a direct presidential election was in 1992, suggesting that the parliamentary system proposed for Zimbabwe is already a standard practice elsewhere in the region. – Zimbo LIVE Harare