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Herald Reporter
GOVERNMENT has indefinitely suspended by-elections to fill vacancies in Parliament and local authorities as the country is still to weather the Covid-19 pandemic storm, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who is also the Minister of Health and Child Care, has announced.
This was published in the Government Gazette published on October 2 under Statutory Instrument (SI) 225A of 2020.
In the SI 225A of 2020, the Minister of Health and Child Care VP Chiwenga said the suspension will stand during the period of the declaration of Covid-19 as a formidable epidemic disease.
“Pursuant to the subsection (2), the holding of any by-election to fill a casual vacancy in Parliament or in a local authority is, for the duration of the period of the declaration of Covid-19 as a formidable epidemic disease, suspended, and if such vacancy occurred while such declaration is in force, no part of the period from the date of such vacancy to the date of the end of declaration shall be counted for the purposes of Section 158(3) of the Constitution” read the SI.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission recently announced that there were 15 vacancies in Parliament that needed to be filled through by-elections following National Assembly recalls by the MDC-T.
Meanwhile, ZEC chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba, announced, in an extraordinary gazette, the appointment of seven proportional representation parliamentarians, including MDC-T leader Dr Thokozani Khupe to Parliament.
Other proportional representative MPs who were appointed are Musarurwa Yvonne, Moyo Lindani, Sawuke January, Munochinzwa Memory, Sibanda Lwazi, Mokone Sipho, and senators Tamani Moyo, Piniel Denga, Kalpani Pugeni, Gertrude Moyo, Chief Ndlovu, Nomalanga Khumalo and Teti Chisorochengwe.
Online Reporter