The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, ZEC, is readying themselves to hold by elections for parliamentary seats left vacant following the recall of some MDC Parliamentarians last week.
The quartet are Prosper Mutseyami (Dangamvura-Chikanga) who was also the opposition party’s chief whip, Charlton Hwende (Kuwadzana East), Thabitha Khumalo (proportional representative Bulawayo Province) and Senator Lillian Timveous (Midlands).
According to the constitution, by elections will be held in Dangamvura – Chikanga and Kuwadzans East whilst the MDC-T under Thokozani Khupe which recalled the MPs will second replacements for Khumalo and Timveous.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the country’s supreme law was clear that if a seat is vacated for one reason or the other, this would automatically trigger a by-election.
“Our Constitution does not have a provision not to hold by-elections. If they decide to resign, we will at some stage have to hold the by-election unless if the vacancy occurs less than nine months to a general election.” However, the law does not provide for by-elections for seats reserved for the Women’s Quota and Senate.
MDC-T was allocated 50 seats of these seats after the 2018 general elections. Despite worries that further by-elections would burden State coffers, Minister Ziyambi said this would be “the cost we have to bear as a country for having undemocratic Movement for Democratic Change politicians”.
“It is also the right of other political parties to participate in by-elections.
I know for certain that the party which I represent, Zanu-PF, wants to participate in all elections when vacancies arise.”
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) chief elections officer Mr Utoile Silaigwana confirmed that the electoral body had since been notified of the four vacancies in Parliament.
“I can confirm that yesterday (Thursday) we received the notification of the four vacancies that have arisen in Parliament. We will go ahead and call for a by-election when the time arises because currently all pending by-elections have been suspended in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
In the 2018 elections, Zanu-PF won 145 seats of the 210 contested seats in the National Assembly, the MDC-A had 63, while two of the remaining seats were won by the National Patriotic Front and an independent candidate. The remaining 120 seats that were apportioned for the Women’s Quota and Senate, with 35 seats allocated to Zanu-PF, 24 to MDC-A and one for MDC-T.
Twenty of the remaining seats were reserved for chiefs (18) and people living with disabilities (two) to complete the cumulative 350 seats in Parliament.