Zimbabwe: Zanu-PF Lacks Political Will to Deliver Free and Fair Polls – Chamisa
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Zimbabwean General Election
July 30, 2018
General elections are scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe in 2018 to elect the President and members of both houses of Parliament. According to the written Zimbabwean Constitution, the elections must be held before the official expiry date of the current parliamentary term due to end on the 21st. August 2018 . The likelihood of the 2018 general elections taking place were called into doubt following the 2017 Zimbabwean coup. On 22 November 2017, a ZANU-PF spokesman said that Emmerson Mnangagwa would serve out the remainder of Robert Mugabe’s term before the elections due to be held during or before September 2018. On Wednesday 30th May, Mnangagwa said that the general election would take place on July 30th.
On 18 January 2018, President Mnangagwa spoke to the Financial Times in an interview, in which he invited the EU, UN and the Commonwealth to send missions to Zimbabwe in order to monitor the elections.
Electoral System
The President of Zimbabwe is elected using the two-round system.
The 270 members of the House of Assembly consist of 210 members elected in single-member constituencies and 60 women elected by proportional representation in ten six-seat constituencies based on the country’s provinces. Voters cast a single vote, which is counted for both forms of election.The 80 members of the Senate include 60 members elected from ten six-member constituencies (also based on the provinces) by proportional representation using party lists; the lists must have a woman at the top and alternate between men and women. The other 20 seats include two reserved for people with disabilities and 18 for traditional chiefs.
Presidential candidates
Following the events of a military coup d’état in November 2017 and his deposition as leader of ZANU-PF, Mugabe resigned amidst parliamentary impeachment hearings on 21 November 2017. His successor Emmerson Mnangagwa was chosen as the ZANU–PF candidate shortly after taking office.
It was unknown whether Morgan Tsvangirai, the long-time Zimbabwe opposition leader would have run in the elections following an announcement on the 6 February 2018 which stated that Tsvangirai was critically ill and an MDC party source said “we should brace for the worst”. Tsvangirai subsequently died on 14 February. Nelson Chamisa is set to replace Tsvangirai as the MDC candidate.
On 20 October 2017, the Coalition of Democrats or CODE, a group formed by nine political parties, nominated the leader of the Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe, Elton Mangoma to be their presidential candidate in the election.
Sources and Further Reading
Zimbabwe set to hold elections on July 30
Zimbabwe’s president seeks to build bridges with west
https://www.ft.com/content/05ad2492-fc38-11e7-9b32-d7d59aace167
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai dies
The NPF-Mugabe factor in 2018 polls
https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2018/03/29/npf-mugabe-factor-2018-polls/
