Staff Reportern a recent development, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is finalizing preparations for the December 9 local authority by-elections. The Commission has printed a total of 99,150 ballot papers, which includes a 6.6% contingency, surpassing the 93,016 eligible voters for these elections.
ZEC’s Chief Election Officer, Utloile Silaigwana, announced that the Printing and Minting Company of Zimbabwe Pvt (Ltd) in Msasa, Harare, was tasked with the printing of these ballots. According to Silaigwana, the additional ballots serve as a contingency plan, and they have been printed in books containing fifty papers each.
The preparations also include the printing of 2,850 ballots for the Chinhoyi Ward 2 by-election, scheduled for December 2.
While ZEC has released the list of successful candidates for the December 9 by-elections, there remains uncertainty over the participation of members from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). Sengezo Tshabangu, the interim secretary general of CCC, has sought legal intervention to remove the names of recalled members from the ballot. Represented by Advocate Lewis Uriri, Tshabangu argues that these members no longer hold CCC membership and therefore should not represent the party in the upcoming by-elections.
The High Court’s decision on this matter is eagerly awaited as it could significantly impact the composition of candidates in the by-elections. The ZEC’s preparations and Tshabangu’s legal challenge highlight the complexities and the high stakes involved in Zimbabwe’s local political landscape.
