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Herald Reporter
THE Gutu West by-election will be held on November 11, bringing the National Assembly of the new 10th Parliament up to its full membership of 280 seats.
Elections in the constituency could not be held simultaneously with the harmonised elections on August 23 following the death of one of the candidates, Christopher Mutonhori Rwodzi, whose name had been duly accepted when the Nomination Court sat on June 21 this year.
That automatically triggered the postponement of the poll for the seat.
President Mnangagwa set a new date for the Gutu West by election in a proclamation gazetted yesterday in terms of the Electoral Act with the Nomination Court sitting on October 10 to receive names of candidates interested in contesting in the poll.
Other candidates that had been duly nominated to contest for Gutu West Constituency included Cde John Paradza of Zanu PF and Mr Ephraim Murudu of CCC.
The Electoral Act compels ZEC to defer a constituency election should a candidate die between the sitting of the Nomination Court and the poll, or even while voting is in progress.
In that regard, ZEC must declare that all proceedings relating to that election were void and that all proceedings relating to that election must start afresh in the same manner as if a vacancy had occurred.
In the just-ended harmonised elections, Zanu PF won 136 National Assembly constituencies against 73 constituencies for the CCC, with the ruling party winning an extra 40 seats under the women’s and youth quotas and CCC an extra 30.
This means Zanu PF’s tally might rise to 177 should it win in the Gutu West by-election, as observers think is likely when looking at the results in neighbouring seats.
In Gutu District, Zanu PF won all the other three seats in the August harmonised elections, including that for CCC leader Nelson Chamisa’s home area.
Online Reporter