Zimbabwe cannot have elections on 18 July

Zimbabwe cannot hold elections on 18 July as this would be a breach of the country’s constitution which says the elections have to be held within 30days from the expiry of the current President’s term of office which ends on 21 August.

There is, however, disagreement on the earliest date the country can hold the elections with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission which supervises the country’s elections saying the earliest date is 21 July while Parliamentary watchdog Veritas says this must be 23 July.

To have the elections on 18 July or 23 July, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has to proclaim them before the end of this month but Parliament which has to pass crucial amendments to the electoral bill to enable free, fair and credible elections is on recess until 8 May.

Veritas says because of the delay is passing the Electoral Amendment bill, it is most likely that Mnangagwa will proclaim the elections in June.

The 18 July election date was picked up from a tweet by Chatham House which hosted Foreign Minister Sibusiso Moyo yesterday but nowhere in his address did Moyo mention that date.

It has been picked up on the social media with one of Mnangagwa’s buggest rivals Jonathan Moyo tweeting: “The coup announcer's declaration in Britain that 18 July is Zimbabwe's election date, is enough proof that Emmerson Mnangagwa is a pawn of the British controlled post-coup Zimbabwean Army; and that Zimbabwe has become a British colony, again. The past is back with a vengeance!”

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