Ashly Dhani
Emmanuel Kafe
The Minister of Health and Child Care, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, has indefinitely suspended the holding of by-elections which were scheduled for December 5 2020.
Minister Chiwenga, through the amendment of Statutory Instrument 225A of 2020, Public Health Covid-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) (Amendment) Regulations, 2020 (No. 4) suspended the holding of by elections during the period of the declaration.
“Pursuant to sub-section (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 the declaration shall be counted for the purposes of Section 158(3) of the Constitution,” reads the amendment.
This amendment comes at a time when by-elections to replace recalled legislators were scheduled to be held on December 5 2020.
Nomination courts were supposed to sit on October 9 2020 for the by-elections nominations to fill the vacancies left by MPs and councillors who were recalled by Thokozani Khupe’s MDC-T outfit.
Online Reporter