Parliament to hold inaugural Open Day

PARLIAMENT will next month hold its inaugural Open Day to facilitate the involvement of the public in legislative processes as required by the Constitution.

The Open Day will be held under the theme, “Parliament Open Day: Celebrating 37 years of independence and parliamentary democracy.”

The Open Day will run over two days from June 8 to 9.

“Parliament of Zimbabwe will be hosting its inaugural Open Day on Thursday 8th June and Friday 9th June, 2017 in fulfilment of its constitutional mandate of facilitating public involvement in its legislative and other processes and in the processes of its Committees,” read part of a statement released by Parliament.

“The two day expo will afford the members of the public a unique opportunity to intimately interact with MPs, gain an in-depth understanding of Parliament and the role played by their elected representatives in advancing the hopes and aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe.”

Some of the activities that would be held include displays by various Parliament’s departments and cooperating partners, outlining roles and functions of Parliament and opportunities for the public to interact with parliamentarians during sessions of National Assembly and Senate.

“In addition, the National Art Gallery will mount an exhibition on the history of Parliament at the National Art Gallery in Harare from June 2 to 7,” said Parliament.

The Parliament of Zimbabwe embarked on reforms in 1996 with the assistance of development partners to make the legislature more accessible to the public, strengthen the legislative processes and oversight role of Parliament, among other objectives.

The adoption of reforms resulted in the creation of Portfolio and Thematic Committees to carry out an oversight role over Government ministries and departments.