The Election Resource Centre (ERC) has warned that Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CA3) could undermine the principle of “one person, one vote” by replacing Zimbabwe’s direct presidential election with an indirect system.
In an analysis titled Understanding One Person, One Vote, the organisation said the proposed changes risk weakening constitutional democracy and altering the relationship between voters and the presidency.
Under the current system, citizens directly elect the President. CAB3 proposes that voters elect Members of Parliament, who would then choose the President in a joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate.
ERC said this would mean citizens no longer directly determine who becomes Head of State.
“The theory of ‘one person, one vote’ is not merely about the right to cast a ballot,” the organisation said. “It is about ensuring that each vote cast by a citizen is equal in weight.”
The group argued that an electoral system must ensure that no vote is disproportionately amplified or diminished and that constituencies are substantially equal in voter population.
“No constituency should be significantly over- or under-represented, where some votes carry more weight due to uneven constituency sizes,” ERC said.
It warned that under an indirect model, variations in constituency size could distort equality. An MP elected in a smaller constituency would carry the same voting power in Parliament as one elected in a larger constituency, potentially giving voters in smaller constituencies disproportionate influence over the presidential outcome.
“As a result, votes in larger constituencies may be diluted, undermining the principle of equality of the vote,” the organisation said.
ERC also raised concerns about accountability. It said the current system creates a direct line of responsibility between voters and the President, who derives legitimacy directly from the electorate.
“The proposed indirect electoral system reconfigures this relationship by placing the power to elect the President in the hands of Members of Parliament,” it said.
While Parliament would retain oversight powers, ERC argued that the change could weaken the direct electoral link between citizens and the presidency, particularly if MPs vote in ways that do not reflect the preferences of their constituents.
The organisation further warned that, under Zimbabwe’s first-past-the-post parliamentary system, it could become possible for a President to be elected indirectly without securing the support of more than 50% of voters nationwide.
In that scenario, ERC said, the outcome might not reflect the preferences of the majority of citizens, raising questions about democratic legitimacy.