国际英语新闻:Zimbabwe's cabinet approves constitutional amendments

HARARE, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe's cabinet on Tuesday approved several amendments to the Constitution as part of efforts to further refine the Supreme Law adopted in 2013.

One of the significant changes is repealing the running-mate clause contained in section 92, which stipulated that the vice president was to be elected jointly with the president in the presidential election.

Under the new amendment, "the president-elect, once he or she assumes office, will be allowed to appoint two persons to be vice presidents, who shall take their oath of office before the chief justice or the next senior judge," said Monica Mutsvangwa, minister of information, at a media briefing.

The section concerning the terms of office of the vice president is also being amended, she said.

"Conditions under which the vice president will vacate office include resignation, removal by the president, serious misconduct, failure to uphold the Constitution or inability to perform the functions of the office due to physical or mental incapacity," she said.

The previous version only stated that the terms of office of the vice president would be extended until "he or she resigns or is removed from office," without specifying the conditions of removal.