The Election Resource Centre (ERC) has warned that the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) could undermine the principle of “one person, one vote” if constituency boundaries are not drawn fairly.
In its analysis of the proposed changes, the civic organisation said constituency delimitation would become central to safeguarding electoral equality should Zimbabwe adopt an indirect presidential election system.
“Delimitation must strictly enforce equality in constituency populations,” ERC said. “Without this, unequal constituencies will translate into unequal influence over the presidential election, negating the principle of one person, one vote.”
Under CAB3, Parliament would elect the President, rather than citizens voting directly. ERC said this would make the drawing of constituency boundaries critical, as the composition of Parliament would ultimately determine the presidential outcome.
“If Parliament becomes the decisive body in electing the President, then the fairness of the electoral outcome will depend on how constituencies are drawn,” the organisation said.
Concerns Over Unequal Representation
ERC warned that disparities in constituency sizes could distort representation by giving smaller constituencies disproportionate influence.
“In effect, the integrity of the presidential election becomes directly tied to the equality and accuracy of constituency sizes,” it said. “Unequal constituencies may confer disproportionate influence on smaller areas relative to larger ones.”
The organisation also rejected comparisons between Zimbabwe’s proposal and South Africa’s system.
Supporters of CAB3 argue that the model mirrors South Africa, where the President is elected indirectly by Parliament. However, ERC said the two systems differ fundamentally.
South Africa uses a proportional representation system, in which voters cast ballots for political parties rather than individual constituency candidates. Parliamentary seats are then allocated in proportion to each party’s share of the national vote.
“South Africa’s system safeguards against the impact of constituency inequalities and ensures the overall composition of the National Assembly is nationally proportionate,” ERC said.
By contrast, Zimbabwe would retain its first-past-the-post parliamentary system, where the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins, while introducing an indirect presidential model.
ERC said this combination could deepen inequalities unless strict constitutional standards are applied in delimiting constituencies.
“The principle of one person, one vote can only be preserved if constituencies reflect equal voter populations and there is strict adherence to constitutional standards,” it said.
Broader Reform Needed
The organisation further warned that introducing an indirect presidential system without broader reforms could weaken accountability and dilute citizens’ political power.
“In Zimbabwe’s case, the absence of accompanying reforms, particularly to the parliamentary electoral system, delimitation processes and recall mechanisms, creates a real risk of vote dilution, unequal representation and weakened accountability,” ERC said.
It added that without careful design and safeguards, the proposed system could shift democratic power away from citizens and towards political parties and intermediary institutions.