The Lancaster House Agreement has been a source of intense conflict among Zimbabweans.  The document, which was drafted at a time when the country was at war, was never presented to the people of Zimbabwe in a referendum.  Zimbabweans accepted it in good faith because there was very little time to scrutinize its suitability. Nearly thirty years after Lancaster, the time is ripe for Zimbabweans to embark on a new Constitutional era because the Lancaster House Agreement has since outlived its purpose.

A new Zimbabwean Constitution, created by the people of Zimbabwe will be the nucleus of this Manifesto from which good governance, peace, stability, social and economic development shall derive. The strength of this Manifesto will depend in large part on the collective effort of Zimbabwe’s people and the necessary system of governance that ensures the democratic participation of its people.

In recent years, there have been meetings to solicit views and opinions on the new Zimbabwean Constitution.  This data should be used as a starting point for a new dialogue on the new Zimbabwean Constitution that represents the fundamental views of the people of Zimbabwe.

The new Zimbabwean Constitution should not be decided upon by a narrow segment of Zimbabwean society, but by the entire nation.  The input of all of Zimbabwe’s stakeholders must be sought and the new Zimbabwean Constitution must be well publicized and thoroughly debated for a sufficient amount of time. 

Due to the enormity of the task and the seriousness of the implications of constitutional formulation, the ZPDP government will work with stakeholders from across Zimbabwe to determine a reasonable and achievable time scale as well as a cost effective process for the holistic development of Zimbabwe’s new Constitution. 

This process should place particular care and emphasis on the composition of the team of individuals and organizations that will ultimately draft and compile the new Zimbabwean Constitution.

There must be a commitment on the part of those who participate in the process of drafting the new Zimbabwean Constitution to put the interests of Zimbabwe’s people and the country ahead of their own.  The new Zimbabwean Constitution has to be a people driven Constitution.