By Wisdom Mumera The recently gazetted Maintenance of Peace and Order (MOPO) Bill aptly captures President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s now-usual cosmetic and PR-heavy approach to issues whilst seriously lacking the much-needed change traction to effectively entrench…
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By Daniel Chigundu Self-styled political activist Linda Masarira has been fired from the Thokozani Khupe led opposition party MDC-T for wearing Zanu…
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By Daniel Chigundu Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) Chairperson Rita Makarau has revealed that government has blocked UNDP from acquiring the biometric voter registration kits for the country. BVR kits will enable the implementation of biometric voter registration which ZEC wants to introduce for the impending 2018 elections. Initially UNDP, a longtime partner of ZEC had pledged to acquire the equipment to help ease the situation for the financially troubled government and it was in the process…
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By Daniel Chigundu European Union election observation mission says they are not happy with the level of transparency over the printing and storage of ballot papers for the 2018 general elections. Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is reportedly in the process of printing the ballot papers to be used in the election and had also invited the participating political parties to come and observe the process as was demanded by the opposition parties. However, opposition parties…
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By Wisdom Mumera Some seasoned legal experts are of the view that the recently filed election petition to the Constitutional Court by the MDC Alliance is nothing short of chasing a dead end by the party. MDC Alliance is contesting the Presidential election results and also for some Parliamentary constituencies around the country. In an interview, Advocate Mandevere Marufu of Kadzere, Hungwe and Mandevere legal practitioner said the MDC Alliance is likely to fail at…
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Time Frame for a Presidential Challenge In the early hours of the morning on 3rd August, the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission [ZEC] declared Mr Mnangagwa to have been duly elected as President of Zimbabwe. The MDC Alliance has said the result will be challenged in court. This Election Watch outlines the time limits for bringing a challenge, the form the challenge might take and what remedies could be granted if it succeeds. Time…
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By Wisdom Mumera The independence of the judiciary system in Zimbabwe will come under increased scrutiny when MDC Alliance Presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa files his election results challenge at the Constitutional Court this week. According to results released by the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC), Zanu PF candidate Emmerson Mnangagwa won the election with 50.8 percent against Chamisa’s 44.3 percent. However, Chamisa is contesting the result and that of 20 Parliamentary seats arguing that there was…
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A bill to amend the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001. Download – ZIDERA Amendment Bill [2018] Download – ZIDERA Act 2001
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Presidential Ballot Paper It appears that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission [ZEC] has printed presidential ballot papers with the presidential candidates listed in alphabetical order in two columns. The President’s name, which would be towards the middle of a single column, heads the second column. What the Electoral Act and Regulations say about the Form of Ballot Papers Section 57(a)(i) of the Electoral Act states that on all ballot papers, including papers for the presidential election,…
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By Daniel Chigundu Self-styled political activist Linda Masarira has been fired from the Thokozani Khupe led opposition party MDC-T for wearing Zanu PF regalia. Masarira wore the regalia last month when she had gone for formal introductions to her new husband’s family in the rural areas. In her defence, Masarira said she had forgotten to carry her own wrapper and had to do with the Zanu PF wrapper that what was offered to her by…
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