Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. By Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has bowed down to the opposition and civil society pressure to proclaim the dates for the upcoming general elections.
Speaking in Binga at the official commissioning of classroom blocks at Mabobolo Secondary School under Chief Pashu on Saturday, Mnangagwa said he will announce the election date on Monday.
“The day after tomorrow (Monday) I will be announcing election day,” Mnangagwa said.
“When elections are conducted every person in Binga should safeguard our heritage by voting. If we do not vote properly people without Zimbabwe at heart will take over. We must protect it and preserve our heritage,” he said.
Mnangagwa’s announcement comes after Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader, Nelson Chamisa on Friday slammed the Zimbabwe leader’s continued failure to proclaim the elections date, saying the move restricted planning ahead of the polls.
The country’s Electoral Act’s section 38 empowers the President to proclaim the date for harmonized elections after consultation with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
Last month President Mnangagwa Mnangagwa revealed that he would announce the election date towards the end of May on the back of rising pressures from civil society organisations (CSOs) and citizens.
“It is unfair for one player to also be a referee, a match commissioner and to be the regulatory authority. It is wrong especially when everyone is put in suspense thereby making planning almost impossible,” Chamisa said in an exclusive interview with newzimbabwe.com
He added, “Others may not be able to fully plan. A date cannot be determined by one person. The fate of a nation can’t fit in one’s pocket.
“Mr Mnangagwa is saying he is the only one who knows the date. This is unacceptable.”
According to a local think tank, Veritas, possible dates for the 2023 general election, the President must in terms of section 144 of the Constitution and the Electoral Act, fix the dates of the plebiscite.
The imminent announcement of the election dates comes after the Constitutional Court recently dismissed an application by MDC leader Douglas Mwonzora challenging the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s delimitation report and seeking the postponement of the general elections.
Under section 158 (1)(a) of the constitution, polling in a general election: an election to both houses of parliament and all provincial and metropolitan councils and local authorities must take place not more than 30 days (i.e. one month) before the end of Parliament’s five-year term, which runs from the date the President-elect was sworn in after the last general election.
“President Mnangagwa was sworn in for his current term on August 26, 2018, so Parliament’s five-year term ends on August 26, 2023,” Veritas noted.
“Polling day in the 2023 general election must be not more than 30 days before that, i.e. no earlier than the 27th of July 2023.
“Hence polling day in this year’s general election must be between the 27th of July and the 26th of August,” Veritas said recently.
For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe Follow Africa-Press