President of the Senate Hon Mabel Chinomona
By Dickson Bandera
Advocate Jacob Mudenda and Mabel Chinomona were on Friday re-elected as Speaker of Parliament and President of Senate respectively in elections held at the New Parliament building in Mt Hampden.
Hon Tsitsi Gezi (Parliament) and Retired General (Rtd) Mike Nyambuya (Senate) who served in the previous parliament also got fresh mandates.
The elections were held in terms of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which stipulates that the Speaker of Parliament and President of Senate, together with their deputies, are elected at the first seating of Parliament.
The 10th Parliament of Zimbabwe is composed of two parties, Zanu PF and Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC), with no party holding a majority.
Opposition party CCC, who have been contesting the 2023 harmonized election results, boycotted the election of the Speaker of Parliament and ZANU PF candidates were elected unopposed.
On the other hand, CCC did not boycott the Senate election which saw Zanu PF’s Chinomona garnering 50 votes while CCC’s Felix Magalela Sibanda received.
Rtd General Nyambuya (Zanu PF) got 49 votes to secure deputy presidency, against CCC’s Maggie Chakabuda who received 26 votes.
Role of the Speaker of Parliament
The Speaker of Parliament is the presiding officer of Parliament mandated to run the proceedings.
The Speaker maintains order, puts questions after debate and conducts divisions (voting in the House). In maintaining order, the Speaker interprets and applies the Standing Orders and practice of the House by making rulings and decisions. A decision of the Speaker may only be challenged by motion of dissent. By custom, the Speaker does not participate in debates.
The Speaker is the mouthpiece for the House, conveying messages and addresses from the House to the State President.
The Speaker is also responsible for upholding the rights and privileges of Members and the House. The Speaker has extensive administrative functions, being responsible for the overall direction of the Parliament. In this, the Speaker is advised by the clerk of court.
President of the Senate
The President of the Senate, is the presiding officer of the Senate, whose main function is to guide and regulate the proceedings in the Senate. It is also the duty of the President of the Senate to ensure that the powers and privileges of the Senate are observed.
The President is also responsible for the administration of the bicameral Parliament of Zimbabwe as the Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders.
The ceremonial position of the President of Senate is ranked fourth in order of precedence, after the two State Vice Presidents of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
The President represents Parliament at international and regional conferences and leads Parliamentary delegations to other nations, as well as receives delegations from other nations.
The President of the Senate also receives courtesy calls from heads of Diplomatic Missions and Embassies based in Zimbabwe and other important dignitaries.
The composition of the 10th Parliament of Zimbabwe (2023-2028) is as follows:
National Assembly
Zanu PF: 176 MPs
- 136 direct election
- 33 women’s quota
- 7 youth quota
CCC: 103 MPs
- 73 direct election
- 27 women’s quota
- 3 youth quota
Senate
- Zanu PF: 33
- CCC: 27
- 18 Chiefs
- 2 representing People With Disabilities
