Zanu-Pf in early poll lead. . . Opposition fails to field candidates for all available posts

The ruling party Zanu-PF has taken an early lead in the 2023 harmonised elections as it has already won 53 local authority seats uncontested after opposition parties failed to field candidates in some wards. In Bulawayo the ruling party was the only one that filed nomination papers for the 10 Provincial Council seats.

Failure to file papers by opposition parties was widespread across the country. In other areas, the Citizens Coalition for Change fielded double candidates in areas such as Pelandaba-Tshabalala and Pumula constituencies.

Zanu- PF national political commissar Cde Mike Bimha said the party has taken control of the election even before announcing its election manifesto.

He said the party was able to field candidates for all available positions.

“We are already leading before we even start the race. Soon we are going to Chipinge for the launch of the manifesto and after that we are going full throttle with the election campaign,” he said.

Matabeleland South provincial political commissar Cde Washington Nkomo said the opposition failed to field candidates in Gwanda Town Ward 1 and Ward 2. He said the opposition also failed to field candidates for the local authority Women’s quota.
Cde Nkomo said in Insiza Rural District Council Zanu-PF candidates sailed unopposed in wards 14, 20 and 21.

While the Chronicle could not immediately get the consolidated list of areas where the opposition failed to field candidates, it established the situation was the same across the country.

Political analyst Mr Teddy Ncube said it is not surprising that the opposition had failed to field candidates as it is badly organised.

“I think it speaks to issues that we have been talking about even dating back to last year when we were saying that the opposition is not ready. Look at the ruling party and how it managed to field candidates, the process seemed like a walk in the park not because the process was easy but because the party was prepared for an election. It has structures and it followed laid down processes in a systematic manner,” said Mr Ncube.

He said the Citizens Coalition for Change strategic ambiguity policy proved to be disastrous as some of its candidates did not know their candidature up to the 11th hour before the close of Nomination Court.

Mr Ncube said it is thus not surprising that it failed to successfully field candidates.

“Some of the people did not file papers because their party used the controversial system called strategic ambiguity which is something nonsensical in politics. You can’t run a public organisation like a secret society. It just doesn’t work. You don’t tell people that they are going to contest and you take them by surprise,” said Mr Ncube.

He said this was what led to the confusion witnessed on Wednesday.

“This is just the beginning of confusion because if a political party cannot get its candidates to present their credentials to ZEC how can the same political party convince voters,” said Mr Ncube.

Mr Ncube said more is expected from political parties ahead of elections and there are national and international policies that need to be crafted but the opposition is not ready for that.

“This is not the start of our problems. Our problem is that we are talking about a political party which is supposed to come up with policies that are expected to address very complex problems that are affecting society today. We have a water crisis in Bulawayo yet someone is failing to come up with a clear direction on how to nominate themselves,” said Mr Ncube.

Bulawayo Provincial Elections Officer Mr Innocent Ncube said 50 candidates successfully filed to contest for 12 National Assembly seats in Bulawayo.

“We had categories of those who failed to submit, some of them failed to file as they could not raise the nomination fees and those were 18.

Some failed because they did not have nominators and they went and never came back. Some also failed because their papers were not signed by their designated party members as required by law,” said Mr Ncube.

He said those who had incomplete nomination papers were about 22.

Mr Ncube said some political parties also failed to file party list candidates as their papers were not in order.

On the issue of double candidates that were recorded among CCC candidates, Mr Ncube said ZEC followed the law and it could not reject submission of papers.

“We observed that some parties fielded double candidates. What we were looking at were papers signed by those who were designated by their parties to sign for them. We had two signatures from political parties that were presented to us and if any of those designated signatures signed the papers we accepted them. There were no grounds for us to reject those nomination papers,” said Mr Ncube.

Earlier yesterday, CCC president Mr Nelson Chamisa blamed glitches for his party’s failure to field candidates for all available seats in a post on twitter.

“Thank you fellow citizens!! -Fielding all 210 MPs across the country cost us $ 210 000 +30 000. We did it! -Fielding all senators, women PR, Youth quota and almost all PR council lists. -Fielding in almost all 1970 wards except a few where we had glitches,” twitted Mr Chamisa.

He said the party will contest the double candidates that his party fielded saying signatures were forged.
-@nqotshili