Constitution of Zimbabwe

Constitution of Zimbabwe
Front page of the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe
Overview
JurisdictionZimbabwe
Presented5 February 2013
Ratified22 May 2013
Date effective22 August 2013; 11 years ago (2013-08-22)
SystemUnitary presidential republic
Government structure
Branches3
ChambersBicameral
ExecutivePresident
JudiciaryConstitutional Court of Zimbabwe, Supreme, High Court of Zimbabwe
FederalismNo
Electoral collegeNo
Entrenchments0
History
First legislature22 August 2013
First executive22 August 2013
Amendments2
Last amended7 May 2021
CitationConstitution of Zimbabwe, as amended up to 20th June 2023 (PDF), 20 June 2023
Commissioned by2008–2009 Zimbabwean political negotiations
Author(s)Parliamentary Select Committee
SignatoriesRobert Mugabe
SupersedesConstitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 19) Act, 2008
Politics of Zimbabwe
Constitution
Government
Legislature
Judiciary
Elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations

The Constitution of Zimbabwe is the supreme law of Zimbabwe. The independence constitution of 1980 was the result of the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement and is sometimes called the Lancaster Constitution.[1] A proposed constitution, drafted by a constitutional convention, was defeated by a constitutional referendum during 2000.

In practice, the 2008 power-sharing deal provided the structure for much of the government. The three political parties in Zimbabwe, ZANU-PF, MDC-T and MDC-N negotiated a new proposed constitution after a constitutional outreach program.[2]

The new constitution was presented to Parliament on 5 February 2013 and subsequently approved in the referendum of 16 March 2013.[3][4] Parliament approved it on 9 May 2013 and President Robert Mugabe gave it his assent on 22 May 2013.

Certain provisions of the Constitution (principally the Declaration of Rights and provisions for presidential and parliamentary elections) came into operation on 22 May 2013, when Act 1 of 2013 was published. That date was the “publication day” as defined in paragraph 1 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution. The provisions that came into operation then are set out in paragraph 3 of that Schedule.

The rest of the Constitution came into operation on 22 August 2013, when the President was sworn in after the first elections following the Act's assent; this date is the “effective date” as defined in paragraph 1 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution. Some of the new constitution's clauses, however, do not take effect for 10 years.[5]

In 2021, disability rights were codified into the Constitution through the National Disability Policy, which was drafted by Senator Rejoice Timire and the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.[6][7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Radio VOP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Thornycroft was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC20130319 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dzinesa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Allison was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Addressing Inequalities in Parliament - Senator Rejoice Timire". United Nations Development Programme. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  7. ^ Machivenyika, Farirai (12 June 2021). "People Living With Disabilities Hail New Policy". The Herald. Retrieved 18 November 2023.