The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has identified 513 preliminary polling stations to be used in the parliamentary and council by-elections that will be held next month to fill vacancies created following last month’s recalls of CCC legislators and councillors after they ceased to be members of the opposition party.
The polling stations were published by ZEC’s chief elections officer, Mr Utloile Silaigwana. “It is hereby notified in terms of section 51(3) of the Electoral Act that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has identified 513 polling stations where polling will take place on Saturday 9 December 2023 in the by-elections,” Mr Silaigwana said.
He added that polling will take place between 7am and 7 pm on the polling day.
The final list of the polling stations will be published on the polling day.
The by-elections were precipitated by the recalls of 15 CCC legislators and 17 councillors after the party’s interim secretary general, Mr Sengezo Tshabangu wrote to Parliament and the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works that they had ceased to be members of the party.
For the National Assembly, by-elections will be held in nine constituencies whose legislators were elected on the first past the post basis while the other six are proportional representatives which will be filled by the party’s nominees.
The nine vacant constituencies are: Beitbridge West, Binga North, Bulawayo South, Cowdray Park, Lobengula-Magwegwe, Lupane East, Mabvuku-Tafara, Mpopoma-Mzilikazi and Nketa.
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Apart from the 15 National Assembly legislators nine senators were also recalled at the same time.
The blood-letting in the beleaguered party has not stopped with CCC last week writing to Parliament recalling 18 more legislators, 13 National Assembly representatives and five senators, while another 52 councillors were also recalled.
The MPs that were recalled last month have since challenged the recalls in the High Court arguing that Mr Tshabangu was not a member of the CCC and also said the interim secretary general post does not exist within the opposition party.
The matter will heard by the High Court on Monday.
The MPs that were recalled last week are, Admore Chievero (Chegutu West), Stephen Chatiza (Goromonzi West), Gift Siziba (Pelendaba), Tapfumaneyi Madzimbamuto (Seke), Oliver Mutasa (Zvimba East), Amos Chibaya (Mkoba North), Emma Muzondiwa (Midlands proportional representative), Machirairwa Mugidho (Masvingo proportional representative), Constance Chihota (Mashonaland East proportional representative), Monica Mukwada (Manicaland proportional representative), Sekai Mungani (Midlands proportional representative), Linnet Mazingaidzo (Harare proportional representative) and Daphne Gutsa (Mashonaland East proportional representative).
Those recalled from the Senate are Webster Maondera, Jameson Timba and Vongai Tome all from Harare and Editor Matamisa and Ralph Magunje from Mashonaland West.
