Jonathan Moyo doubts ZEC’s capacity to conduct delimitation
By Pavel Mwaoseni
Former Minister of Information Jonathan Moyo has cast doubt over the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s (ZEC) capacity to effectively conduct a delimitation exercise ahead of the general elections.
Zimbabwe will hold general elections in 2023, and ZEC is working on delimiting the electoral boundaries as is required by law.
The law requires that after a census, a delimitation exercise must follow.
Delimitation is to ensure that constituencies and wards have nearly the same number of people as possible.
However, Moyo believes that ZEC is not ready for the important exercise expected to start in June.
“Delimitation starts 1 June 2022 and must be done by 31 December 2022 but ZEC ain’t ready at all due to poor voter registration thus for plus political chicanery some provinces are set to lose constituencies they gained in 2008,” he said.
The delimitation is expected to see some provinces losing constituencies, while others gain from the current, they have.
According to a Delimitation Research conducted by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), Bulawayo Province which has 12 seats in Parliament will lose 2 of the seats, and Harare which has 29 seats will gain four more seats to close at 33 seats.
Matabeleland North will lose one seat to settle at 12, Matabeleland South which has 13 will lose three seats.
Masvingo currently has 26 seats and will lose three seats, Mashonaland Central will gain two seats to close at 20 seats.
Mashonaland East will remain unchanged, together with Midlands, while Manicaland will gain one to close at 27 seats.
According to the ZESN research findings, there is a need to rationalise constituencies that are too big and those that are too small. It added that the delimitation process should embed the principle of transparency non-discrimination, representativeness, equality of the vote, and impartiality.
Jonathan Moyo doubts ZEC’s capacity to conduct delimitation
