#ElectionsZW: Court cancels by-elections for PDP seats

#ElectionsZW: Court cancels by-elections for PDP seats

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has announced that by-elections in six constituencies that became vacant following the recall of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislators have been cancelled.

The cancellation came following a court order which declared that there were no vacancies in the constituencies as the legislators were recalled illegally.

In a statement, Chief Elections Officer Utole Silaigwana said the nomination for the seats will no longer sit as there shall be no by-elections in the areas.

‘’It is hereby notified that, following a court order issued in the case of Kucaca Ivumile Phulu and 6 others vs Benjamin Rukanda and 7 others, Case No. HCH 10622, there exists no vacancies in Nkulumane, Mbizo, Kambuzuma, Mutasa South, Pumula, and Harare East National Assembly Constituencies.

‘’The proclamation calling for by-elections issues by His Excellency the President in terms of Statutory Instrument  1 of 2022 on 6 January 2022 is accordingly amended.

‘’Nomination Court for the purposed of receiving nominations of candidates for elections as members of the National Assembly for the said constituencies shall therefore not sit and there shall be no by-elections in the said constituencies,’’ read the statement.

The legislators were recalled after Benjamin Rukanda wrote to Parliament of Zimbabwe claiming to be secretary-general of PDP, indicating that the members no longer represented the interest of PDP in Parliament.

This was despite the fact that the PDP that Rukanda was representing actually contested against the legislators during the 2018 general elections under the People Rainbow Coalition that was fronted by Joice Mujuru.

Although the High Court had ruled Rukanda offside, Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda blocked the legislators from returning to Parliament because the matter had been appealed at the Supreme Court.

It now remains to be seen what will happen when Parliament resumes its sitting in February and if Tendai Biti retains his position as chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee which was given to Brian Dube by Douglas Mwonzora.

#ElectionsZW: Court cancels by-elections for PDP seats