#ElectionsZW: Chamisa will not get proportional representation MPs says ZEC
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) director for legal services Shamiso Chahuruva says Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) will not be allocated proportional representation seats in the National Assembly.
The constitution of Zimbabwe in Section 124(b) allocates women’s seats to political parties in the National Assembly based on the proportion of the number of seats the political party wins in each Province.
This led to some people speculating that ZEC would remove some proportional representation members from MDC Alliance and replace them with those from CCC which won several seats in the by-elections, especially in Harare Province.
However, speaking to the media during a social media workshop in Harare, Chahuruva said the outcome of the 26 March 2022 by-elections will not alter the women’s quota.
She said there is no provision to recalculate the numbers when by-elections are held.
‘’By-elections will not affect proportional representation seats in Parliament. There is no provision to recalculate the numbers for the seats, so it is going to remain the same until the next election which is 2023,’’ she said.
Number of female MPs dropping in Zimbabwe
The 60 proportional representation seats in the National Assembly were created to help increase the number of female legislators in Parliament.
Parliament of Zimbabwe has a small number of women who won in the 2018 general elections. This is despite women constituting the majority in the country.
This is despite efforts that have been put by various women’s organisation to support and give capacity to women. Organisations such as Walpe have also been urging women to vote for other women, but the message appears to be falling on deaf ears.
Women in their defence argue that the political environment is tilted in favour of males. They also complain about the violent nature of Zimbabwean elections which are often violent.
The recently held by-elections saw Citizens Coalition for Change candidate for Kwekwe Central Judith Tobaiwa having her cars confiscated by suspected Zanu PF members. People were also attacked during a CCC rally in Kwekwe.
#ElectionsZW: Chamisa will not get proportional representation MPs says ZEC
