Zimbabwe’s amended Electoral Act could be ready by Friday

Zimbabwe’s amended Electoral Act could be gazetted as early as Friday next week clearing the way for harmonized elections, Parliamentary watchdog, Veritas, says.

The Electoral Amendment Bill was rushed through the National Assembly this week and now needs to go through the Senate and if approved it goes to the President for signature before being gazetted.

“The Bill could well be completed and gazetted by next Friday 18th May and if not then shortly thereafter,” Veritas says.

Zimbabwe should hold its elections before 21 August according to the constitution.

It is not clear whether the amended act will incorporate all the sticking points raised by the opposition but President Emmerson Mnangagwa has promised to hold, free, fair and credible elections whose outcome will be accepted by the international community.

Presidential spokesman and Information secretary George Charamba said the coming elections are about restoring international re-engagement and legitimacy.

“This election is about restoring international re-engagement and legitimacy; that is where we are. It must be flawless, it must be transparent, it must be free, it must be fair, it must meet international standards, it must be violence free and therefore it must be universally endorsed because it is an instrument of foreign policy. It’s about re-engagement and legitimacy; we are playing politics at a higher level,” Charamba said.

Veritas explains the various scenarios the Amendment Bill will have to go through.

The Electoral Amendment Bill Through the National Assembly

The amendments made by the National Assembly on 8th May [see Election Watch 8/2018 of 9th May were approved by the Parliamentary Legal Committee on Wednesday 9th May.  They were then formally adopted by the National Assembly at Thursday‘s House sitting and the Bill was given its Third Reading [a mere formality – the Bill is not read out in its entirety, there is just a vote to finally approve the Bill before it goes to the Senate].

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