Zimbabwe's referendum for a new constitution may now be held by next January, an official leading the Constitutional Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) told state-owned media on Friday, according to dpa. "We will report to Parliament by October 15 with the draft constitution," Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana, COPAC co-chairman, told The Herald newspaper. "Thereafter, a referendum will be held within three months, but it is the executive which will decide a date that is practical," he added. With the three-month limit, it would mean that the referendum would be taking place by January 15. Under the power-sharing agreement that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe signed in 2008, Zimbabwe is supposed to have a new constitution before general elections are held. But drafting the new constitution has been marred by lack of funds, inter-party violence and disagreements between Mugabe's Zanu PF and Tsvangirai's party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). As a result, a referendum on the new constitution that was supposed to have been held last November has had its dates postponed several times. Douglas Mwonzora, the other co-chairman of COPAC, was quoted by The Herald saying Zimbabweans if reject the draft constitution, next polls would be held under the current constitution. "If the people say 'no' to the new constitution, it will be a tragedy as we will go back to the constitution we have now," said Mwonzora. The two COPAC chairmen represent the two main rivals, with Mwonzora being an ally of Tsvangirai and Mangwana representing Mugabe's Zanu PF party. In 2000, the MDC successfully campaigned for the rejection of a government-drafted constitution saying it had ignored people's views. Welshman Ncube, who leads a splinter group of the MDC, told The Herald that the chances that Zimbabweans would reject the draft constitution in January were slim. "It's not possible as all parties will make sure they whip their people in line to agree," Ncube said. "The pertinent question to ask is what happens if both parties do not agree on the draft constitution which is a likely scenario." -- SPA
