By Tawanda Munyuki
THE Operation Young Vote (OYV) has charged that increasing youth and women representation in Parliament does not require rushed and hashed constitutional amendments.
Guess Nyirenda, the OYV executive director has stated that instead of focusing on changing the constitution, government should strengthen existing legal frameworks that already support equal representation.
Mr Nyirenda said that certain provisions within the current legal system and Constitution only needed reinforcement to make youth and women’s participation in governance more effective.
Mr Nyiirend pointed out that the real challenge in protecting the contents of the current Constitution was with political parties themselves, as many were not deliberate about adopting young people and women for parliamentary positions.
He has urged political parties to take proactive steps in promoting inclusivity, rather than relying on constitutional reforms as a solution to increasing the number of youths and women in elective and decision-making positions.
