Political chancers must be blocked from 2023 elections, says Mudenda

Political chancers must be blocked from 2023 elections, says Mudenda

Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda says any political parties that would be less than six months should be banned from contesting in elections to prevent the electorate from being abused.

Zimbabwe has seen the sprouting of political parties in the past 12 months ahead of the 2023 general elections.

More than 20 political parties have emerged across the country all intending to contest in 2023. Some of the political parties are based outside the country.

However, most of the new parties did not take part in the March 26 by-elections.

Those interviewed said they could not waste resources on the by-elections when there is a general election in 2023.

During the 2018 general elections, more than 20 candidates contested the Presidency. However, most of them performed dismally.

Speaking at a workshop organised to discuss the impending amendment to the electoral law, Mudenda said only serious political parties should be allowed to contest the elections.

‘’However, it is critical that the electoral law addresses the tendency of a plethora of political parties soon after the Presidential Proclamation to hold harmonized general elections.

‘’In 2018, 133 political parties sprouted like the summer mushrooms to contest in the elections. This spectre is uncommon in the electoral world. Our electoral law must guard against such political misadventure which is likely to abuse the unsuspecting electorate.

‘’The electoral law should insist on bona fide parties that have authentic credentials and have at least been founded six months before the election date. What more of the 23 candidates who aspired to contest for the Presidential Office in 2018!

‘’Surely this high office demands candidates of serious conviction and stature and not the trial-and-error opportunists. The envisaged electoral law should address this political leadership lacuna among the Presidential aspirants. ‘’Such screening process would ensure that the ZEC allocated funding will not be unnecessarily crowded out.-