612
By Takudzwa Changadeya
Main opposition party Citizens Coalition Change (CCC) has called for the involvement of the contestants in the procurement, security and design of the ballot paper for the forthcoming harmonised elections to ensure credibility.
The party also called for the agents of the participating candidates to be involved in the processes of the 2023 presidential results announcement.
Addressing members of the fourth estate on Tuesday afternoon, Binga North Legislator Prince Dubeko Sibanda said it is the best jurisdiction practice that fosters fairness during elections.
“We have also made a proposal that the procurement, design and security of the ballot paper should be agreed upon by the contestants and again that is the best practice that we have seen happening in our neighbours jurisdictions.
Sibanda also pointed out sections that need to be amended in the Electoral Amendment Bill which was gazetted on November 18, 2022, to fully align the Electoral Act with Zimbabwe’s Constitution that was amended (Constitution Amendment No. 2 Act) last year.
“We also believe that Section 110 subsection 3 especially paragraph C of the current Act needs to be amended in the sense that collation, addition and tabulation of results that are received at the national results centre.
“In terms of that Act results are simply revealed and done by the CEO without the involvement of the agents of the participants in the Presidential elections similarly the announcements of results in terms of that law seems to ignore the fact that before an announcement is made the agents of participants in that election should validate those results as being correct collation of figures that would have come from the polling stations and as a result we believe that particular Section should be amended”, he said.
Sibanda said that some provisions of the Electoral Amendment Bill are questionable and they demonstrate an attempt to curtail some members of the opposition from participating in the forthcoming elections.
“We believe that this provision is not only retrogressive but it also violates the constitution of Zimbabwe. We believe that section 125 and 278 sufficiently covers the qualifications that are required for a person to be selected as a member of parliament or a councilor.
“Other qualifications we feel that it is an attempt to curtail some members of the opposition from contesting for those positions and we suggest that that clause should fall up,” he said.