Zimbabwe’s 2018 election headache

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is already facing a huge dilemma over the coming elections- how to prepare a ballot paper that can accommodate 118 candidates if all the political parties that have registered with the electoral body decide to contest for president.

Zimbabwe is holding national elections in July or August depending on when President Emmerson Mnangagwa proclaims the elections.

Right now Mnangagwa’s hands are tied by a court case in which two opposition parties are seeking to bar him from proclaiming election dates until the Political Parties Finance Act is amended to compel the government to fund all political parties.

At the moment only parties that polled five percent or more of the vote in 2013 are eligible for funding.

According to ZEC 118 political parties have so far registered for the polls.

There are only 210 parliamentary seats that will be contested.

Another 60 are reserved for women and are allocated on a proportional representation system, that is depending on the votes the party has won.

Zimbabwe also has an upper house, the Senate, which also accommodates traditional leaders and currently has 80 members.

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