PRESIDENT Mnangagwa will proclaim the dates for by-elections for the National Assembly and local authorities to fill vacancies left following the expulsion and death of some members, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has said.
There are 28 National Assembly and 105 local authority
vacancies across the country.
The Government had suspended the holding of by-elections as
part of a set of measures to curtail the spread of the highly contagious
Covid-19 disease.
However, ZEC, the constitutional body mandated with running
elections in the country, has come up with a roadmap towards the holding of the
elections.
According to the draft electoral road map, ZEC has set
April 23, 2022 as the proposed date for elections.
“The commission works with provisional dates as the actual
dates can only be proclaimed by the President,” ZEC said in a statement.
Some media organisations had reported that the country will
be going to polls based on the ZEC roadmap.
However, the by-elections, the commission said, could be
proclaimed earlier or later than the set provisional dates.
“The provisional dates are merely for planning and
procurement of election material. The nation should be guided accordingly,”
reads the draft electoral road map.
Ahead of next year’s delimitation process, ZEC has set
aside more than 900 voter registration units.
The delimitation process, which will see the country
divided into constituencies and wards for the purpose of elections legislators
and councillors respectively is part of the electoral cycle and is carried out
periodically in terms of section 160 and 161 of the Constitution.
“ZEC periodically assesses its state of preparedness for
all constitutionally mandated electoral processes.
“The Commission is guided by the laws of Zimbabwe not by
discussions with any stakeholders. The law can be changed in Parliament by
those who are unhappy with its application,’’ said ZEC.
Parliament has expelled more than 20 MPs from both MDC-T
and Zanu PF after their parties wrote to the House saying they were no longer
representing them.
The recall of the MPs is a culmination of 21 MPs belonging
to the opposition MDC-T party, recalled to date following a leadership wrangle.
The recalling of MDC-T MPs followed a Supreme Court ruling
conferring legitimacy to Douglas Mwonzora as the leader of the party.
Zanu PF recalled Chivi South MP Cde Killer Zivhu, while at
least 21 from both the National Assembly and Senate were ejected by the MDC-T. Herald
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