Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
THE National Assembly and Local Government by-elections set for March 26 will be used as a yardstick for the 2023 harmonised elections by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), the electoral body’s chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba has said.
A total of 120 Local Government and 22 National Assembly seats are up for grabs in the March by-elections.
The Nomination Court sat around the country yesterday for aspiring candidates to file their papers to participate in the polls.
In an interview after observing the Midlands Nomination Court at Gweru Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Justice Chigumba said there was no time to play whenever elections are held.
Justice Chigumba observed the nomination process from the time the Nomination Court opened at 10AM until 4PM when all parties’ candidates had submitted their papers and successful candidates were announced.
“I was here to monitor proceedings at the Nomination Court. I will also be observing the National Assembly and local authorities by-elections in the Midlands province, primarily focusing on rural constituencies so as to have an appreciation of the challenges they might face then,” said Justice Chigumba.
She said the by-elections will prepare Zec for a smooth handling of the harmonised elections come next year.
“Observing the Nomination Court proceedings as well as the by-elections is a yardstick for next year’s harmonised elections, especially with issues to do with logistical challenges.”
She said she had been deployed to observe Midlands province while other commissioners are in other provinces.
“As commissioners, we are actually allocated provinces to supervise. In 2018 I was supervising Harare province and now I’m supervising Midlands province for a different experience. The Midlands province is vast as it has urban and rural constituencies, making it unique.
“We have some outlying areas with a poor road network and no electricity where we would want to improve in terms of efficiency,” she said.
Justice Chigumba said Midlands province had five National Assembly vacant seats, which had been proclaimed before the High Court ruled that they were not vacant.
“Well, we had five National Assembly constituencies in the Midlands province that had been proclaimed vacant.
However, at the 11th hour, the High Court made an order for the amendment of the Presidential proclamation by making an order declaring that the proclamation excludes Mbizo and so we have four vacant National Assembly seats,” she said.
Justice Chigumba also said the Electoral Court is allowed to sit up to midnight in order to serve everyone.
She commended candidates from different parties for showing maturity as they participated in the process in peace and harmony.
Aspiring candidates from Zanu-PF, MDC-T, (CCC) and Zimbabwe People’s Action Party (ZPAP) freely mingled as they waited for their turn to submit their nomination papers.
“The Nomination Court opened at 10AM and the situation was peaceful and calm. I commend you candidates for showing maturity. You were also observing all the Covid-19 protocols and everything was in order; well-done,” said Justice Chigumba.
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