Nomination Court sits

Prosper Ndlovu Senior Reporter
THE Nomination Court sits today across the country to accept names of Presidential, parliamentary, and council candidates for the harmonised elections with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) setting 4pm as the deadline for submission of names. In an interview from Harare yesterday, Zec chairperson Justice Rita Makarau said candidates who miss today’s deadline would be left out of the election race.
“The Nomination Court will open at 10am and by 4pm all papers must be submitted. We would like to advise the candidates to adhere to the deadline,” said Justice Makarau.

“This is a one day affair and after 4pm there would not be any extension. The deadline is very strict.”
Justice Makarau said the venues for the Nomination Courts remain unchanged in all provinces.

The Nomination Court for the Presidential candidates would sit at the Harare High Court, Court A, at Mapondera Building while that of parliamentary candidates would sit at the magistrates’ courts dotted around the country’s provinces.

For those vying for seats in the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, the candidates would go to Court Five at Tredgold Building.
Matabeleland North candidates would also go to   Tredgold Building at Court Seven.

For Matabeleland South, the court sits at the Gwanda Magistrates Court while in Midlands it would be at Gweru Magistrates Court.
In Masvingo province it would sit at Masvingo Magistrates Court.

The Nomination Court for Rural District Councils (RDC) would be conducted at the respective RDC offices across the         provinces.
For urban local authorities the Nomination Court would sit at municipality offices.

Justice Makarau said by yesterday the parties had submitted their papers to provincial offices for scrutiny by Zec before the nomination day.
According to Zec, nomination papers for Presidential candidates are supposed to be signed by not less than 10 nominators who are registered voters in their respective provinces.

Parliamentary candidates are required to sign two copies of the electoral code of conduct that must accompany their nomination forms.
This is in accordance with provisions of the new Constitution.

Justice Makarau said presidential candidates are required to pay a nomination fee of $500 while National Assembly candidates would pay $10.
She said Senate candidates were included in the $60 fee for submission of party lists adding that council candidates will submit their nomination free of charge.

Zec said prospective candidates should produce copies of a long birth certificate, National Identity Card and two passport sized photographs.
Meanwhile, a visit to the Bulawayo Magistrates Court and the Council Chambers yesterday revealed that Zec officials had arrived to receive nominations while individual candidates had started submitting their documents.

“We are ready for tomorrow’s sitting of the Nomination Court.
“As you can see we are waiting for submissions from parties and individuals,” said a Zec official at Tredgold Building who requested anonymity for professional reasons.

The Zanu-PF Bulawayo provincial headquarters, Davies Hall, was also a hive of activity as candidates who won the primary elections jostled to have their nomination forms signed by the party leadership before submitting them.

On Wednesday Zec announced that it had scrapped the requirements for local    authority candidates to produce a police clearance and evidence that they had cleared utility bills.

The requirement had caused panic among council candidates who are in arrears.
In line with the provisions of Section 38A of the Electoral Act (Chapter 2:13) Zec has advised all political parties to provide the commission with the names of at least three national office bearers of the party and the names of at least three provincial office bearers for each province, any two of whom will be authorised to countersign the nomination forms.