By 
It has been 11 months since by-elections were suspended under Statutory Instrument 225a of
- The Executive suspended the elections taking away the independence of the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). Despite the ZEC having developed the COVID-19
Policy on Electoral Activities with clear guidelines on how by-elections and other electoral
activities would be conducted under COVID19, by-elections have remained illegally
suspended.
By-elections are a litmus test to ZEC’s preparedness for the 2023 Harmonised elections.
Responsible authorities must ensure that when by-elections are conducted, they are
conducted in a transparent, accountable and credible manner that boosts the confidence of
electoral stakeholders.
Currently, COVID-19 is not the only pandemic affecting the delivery of credible elections. The
failure to adhere to constitutional principles that are foundational to credible elections is
another pandemic that is threatening democratic principles.
It is worrisome that citizens are currently unrepresented in Parliament and Local Authorities.
Section 1 of the Constitution states that Zimbabwe is a unitary, democratic and sovereign
republic and is bound by principles of good governance which include free, fair and regular
elections according to Section 2 (b) (ii). The ERC, therefore, calls for President Emmerson
Mnangagwa to undertake his mandate of proclaiming by-elections since there is no court
order setting aside the elections.
Conclusively, the resumption of by-elections must be preceded by the implementation of
electoral reforms as by-elections without reforms pose a threat to the credibility and
acceptability of electoral outcomes.
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