ELECTIONS FINAL LIST TO NE RELEASED FRIDAY

THE final list of successful candidates for the August 23 harmonised elections, who submitted their nomination papers during the sitting of the Nomination Court on Wednesday last week, will be gazetted on Friday.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is finalising the compilation of submissions made by prospective candidates for the Presidential, National Assembly and local authority races. Names of winners of local authority seats, who stood uncontested, are also likely to be gazetted. The ruling party, ZANU PF, said it has so far won 74 local authority seats after the candidates came out as sole nominees.

After gazetting the final list of candidates, ZEC will then commence distributing the final voters’ roll to all approved candidates, with contestants only receiving registers that are “specific to their area of contest”.

According to ZEC, 6 598 523 people will be eligible to vote on August 23, up from about 5,8 million who were registered during the last general election in 2018. The list of all polling stations is expected to be published two days after unveiling of the candidates. Elections for the National Council of Chiefs will then follow a day later.

ZEC chief elections officer Mr Utloile Silaigwana told our Harare Bureau that “the candidates will start receiving the voters’ roll when the commission has completed compiling submissions of all the candidates from provinces and districts”.

“It is also important to note that candidates will be issued with voters’ rolls specific to their area of contest. There are 6 598 523 voters on the voters’ roll,” he said.

Eleven presidential candidates will be standing in the upcoming polls. President Mnangagwa of ZANU PF, Mr Joseph Busha of Free Zim Congress (FZC), Mr Nelson Chamisa of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), Mr Trust Chikohora of Zimbabwe Coalition for Peace and Development (ZCPD) and Mr Blessing Kasiyamhuru of Zimbabwe Partnership for Prosperity (ZIPP) successfully filed their papers last week. Others are Mr Saviour Kasukuwere, an independent candidate; Professor Lovemore Madhuku of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA); Mr Wilbert Mubaiwa of National People’s Congress (NPC); Mr Gwinyai Henry Muzorewa of the United African National Council (UANC); Mr Douglas Mwonzora of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Mr Wilson Harry Peter of the Democratic Opposition Party (DOP). Mr Silaigwana said ZEC had so far accredited 30 local observers for the elections.

“Please, note that the accreditation of election observers commenced on June 20. As at June 22, 30 local observers had been accredited. No foreign observers have been accredited so far. Applications by prospective observers should be made no later than August 19.” Sunday Mal

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