ON Wednesday this week, two Zanu PF-linked groupings held separate media briefings in Harare, trashing a preliminary delimitation report by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).
Earlier on, Zanu PF Mashonaland East provincial chairperson Daniel Garwe had raised similar reservations over the just-ended delimitation exercise.
“We can’t glorify Zec when it is changing boundaries like this. One who stays in ward 5 is now going to vote in Mutoko, you live in Hwedza and you now vote in Marondera Central. What kind of nonsense is that?
“What they (Zec) want is that where you used to walk five kilometres to vote you now walk 10km or 15km. They didn’t consult us, they told us what they had done. That’s not consultation,” he charged.
The Zec report highlighted that the ruling party was losing some rural wards to urban constituencies widely seen as opposition strongholds.
While several provinces kept the same number of constituencies, numerous rural districts lost wards to peri-urban areas and growth centres, according to the report.
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The concerns raised by the Zanu PF affiliates came at a time when opposition and election watchdogs were pleading for inclusivity and transparency in the constituency delimitation process to prevent boundary manipulation. But Zec has been unreceptive.
Interestingly, Zanu PF did not raise concern at the time, maybe because it suited them.
To avert this, Zec should have conducted thorough consultations with all stakeholders.
With Zanu PF organisations now making appeals, we anxiously await to see if Zec will listen this time.
The credibility of Zec is under scrutiny.
As things stand, the electoral management body is not inspiring confidence ahead of the 2023 elections. This also brings the need to consider reforming Zec.
We, therefore, implore Zec to pay attention to all stakeholders’ concerns and stop acting like a bull in a China shop.
The entire initiative designed to promote fairness has been tarnished by Zec’s obsession with hiding the truth.
As a country, we cannot afford to continue having disputed polls as a result of Zec’s inability to do things transparently.
We also urge Parliament to draft a well-thought-out Delimitation Act.