HEALTH deputy minister John Mangwiro yesterday claimed that his ministry was not responsible for the failure by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) to hold by-elections, disputing claims by the commission that government was holding up the polls.
There are 28 vacant seats in the National Assembly and
Senate, most of them as a result of the MDC-T faction led by Douglas Mwonzora
recalling MDC Alliance legislators.
Zec chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba told diplomats
last Wednesday that the electoral management body was ready to conduct the
by-elections, but was waiting for Vice-President and Health minister
Constantino Chiwenga to lift the suspension.
Last year, Chiwenga promulgated Statutory Instrument 225A
of 2020 to indefinitely suspend elections over COVID-19 fears.
Mangwiro yesterday retorted: “But (elections have) got nothing
to do with the ministry. We don’t supervise elections.”
Briefing diplomats, Chigumba said Zec could not be faulted
for failure to hold by-elections, shifting blame on Chiwenga.
The commission, she said, had “taken measures to engage the
minister on the possibility of lifting the suspension on the conduct of
by-elections”.
“By-elections can only be held once the said suspension has
been lifted. The commission, however, continues to receive calls by various
stakeholders for it to conduct by-elections, with some sectors mistakenly
believing that Zec is the obstacle towards the holding of these by-elections,”
Chigumba said.
“The commission stands ready to conduct by-elections once the
statutory instrument issued by the Minister of Health and Child Care suspending
the conduct of by-elections is amended to allow for the resumption of
by-elections.” Newsday
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